Auto-generated - may contain small errors. Always verify with the audio version.
Good evening everyone, those in the building and those online, it's good to come together to worship God and we will begin this time of worship by singing to God's praise.
The first two stanzas of Psalm 100.
And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please. And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please.
And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please.
And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please. And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please. And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please.
And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please. And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please. And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please.
And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please. Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please. And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please.
Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please. And after we've sung, Angus M will lead us in prayer in Galat, please. Angus M may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may
may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may
Please may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may
Amen.
Amen. Amen.
We'll sing again to God's praise from Mission Praise 288, Mission Praise 288, the words on the screen. I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord.
I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord.
No tender voice I cry, none peace afford. I need thee, oh I need thee.
Every hour I need thee. Oh bless me thou my Savior, I come to thee.
I need thee every hour, still thou nearby. Temptations to survive when love are nigh.
I need thee, oh I need thee. Every hour I need thee. O bless me thou my Savior, I come to thee.
I need thee every hour, in joy or pain. I need thee every hour, in joy or life is pain.
I need thee, oh I need thee. I need thee, oh I need thee. I need thee, oh I need thee. I need thee every hour, I need thee. Oh bless me thou my Savior, I come to thee.
I need thee, oh I need thee. I need thee every hour, teach me thy word. And thy may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may oh is
I need Thee, oh I need Thee, every hour I need Thee, oh bless me now my Saviour, I come to Thee.
If you could turn in your Bibles please to Revelation chapter 3.
Revelation chapter 3, we come to the last letter in this series of letters from Jesus to His church. And this is the letter addressed in the first instance to the church in Laodicea.
So Revelation chapter 3 and at verse 14 to verse 22. This is God's Word. 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.
I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you are 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.
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 yourselves 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. 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. Amen and may God bless that reading of his word to us.
We're going to sing again to God's praise, this time from hymn 69, or paraphrase 30. It's a paraphrase of a passage from Hosea chapter 6, and it's a prayer of repentance.
It's a prayer that is offered to God when one feels far away and wants to come back. Come, let us to the Lord our God with contrite hearts return.
Our God is gracious, nor will leave the desolate to mourn. His voice commands the tempest forth and stills the stormy wave. And though his arm be strong to smite, it is also strong to save.
We'll sing the whole of this hymn to God's praise. Our God is gracious, nor will leave the desolate to mourn.
His voice commands the tempest forth and stills the stormy wave.
And though his arm be strong to smite, it is also strong to save.
Nor have the night of sorrow laid, the dawn shall bring us light.
God shall appear, and we shall rise with gladness in his sight.
And hearts in God we seek to know, Shall Lord have man rejoice.
His coming like the morn shall be, Like morning songs his voice.
As to upon the tender air, Diffusing fragrance run.
Alexander may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may And shed a joyful light That the Lord born child chase away The sorrows of the night Let's pray again as we come back to God's Word
Lord God, we thank you for your Word And we thank you for this hour Where we are able to come together as your people in worship And we pray as we've sung in that paraphrase of your Word That your presence would bless our souls We would know something of the joyful light of the Gospel In our experience, in our hearts And we thank you for the truth of that passage That when the light of the Gospel shines into our lives The sorrows and the terrors of the night are chased away We thank you for the assurance for the peace That we have if we are able to say that we are in Christ We thank you that if we are trusting in Jesus We have the promise that our sins are forgiven
We thank you that if we are trusting in Jesus We have the promise that we are loving That we are accepted into the family of God That we can call ourselves children of God That we can come to you and call you our Father That we can know that Jesus is our Saviour We thank you for the promise that when we believe the Holy Spirit himself Comes to live within us And helps us and counsels us And comforts us when we are sad And when we are sore Guides us when we are struggling to know which way to go We thank you for the promise of the Gospel That when we are in Christ Death has its sting removed And though all of us must pass through death's dark veil We thank you that when we are in Jesus When we are able to say the Lord is my shepherd
We thank you that we can pass through death's dark veil Fearing no evil Because you have promised that you will be with us We thank you for the promise that when we are in Christ That when we pass through death's dark veil We go to a place that is prepared for all who trust in the Lord A place called heaven Where none of the terrors and sorrows of this world and of the night Are present But where there is peace and there is joy Where there is unity And where the Lamb is at the centre On his throne And when all of God's people Are united together in Christ Help us we pray to Meditate often On all that is ours in Jesus And help us to Not lose sight of the great cost
Of our salvation That Jesus came into this world To pay the price Of our salvation We could never Buy or earn Any of these blessings Any of these benefits But we thank you that in the gospel All of these things are freely offered Because Jesus is paid for them By his blood So enable us we pray All of us here Anyone who listens At a distance Help us Lord we pray Not just to hear The voice of Jesus Not simply to hear The Lord Jesus Knocking At the door Of our lives But we pray that we may Open that door And that we may receive All that Jesus Has to give to us We pray for any Who may not yet Have trusted in Christ Any who May
At this point in time Believe that God is real Believe that Jesus Is the saviour But is not yet able to say That he is my saviour We thank you that even this evening We are able to Change that As we come before you With contrite hearts Asking that you would save us That you would bless us And that you would grant to us All that is promised in the gospel So work in our hearts Lord we pray And as we read And try to understand this letter That went to a church In Laodicea many years ago Help us to remember That it was intended To be passed down Through the Ages and generations To be passed from place to place Help us to remember that In your plan It was always intended That this letter would be read here In this place At this time In our hearing And we pray that we may understand
That we may hear The voice of Jesus That we may believe And respond In faith So bless us Lord We pray We pray for The congregations Around us As well as they open Your word Wherever the gospel Is preached And we thank you That it's preached In all The denominations Here We pray We pray That you would be at work Lord God That you would be drawing Sinners like us To yourself That we may be saved In Christ We pray for those Who visit with us tonight We thank you for them We pray for the congregations That they are Connected to And part of We ask your blessing On them As we ask Your blessing on us We pray for those Who are studying We think of Gordon We think of Stuart We thank you for them Lord And we ask that you would Bless them And guide them As they study And as they train And we pray on for Scott And for Fiona And we ask Lord
That you would continue To use them For your glory And graven And that you would Awaken the souls of many That you would revive And quicken the hearts of many We pray that we may see Much That redounds to your glory In that place Through the ministry Of Scott and Fiona At this time We ask Lord That you would Continue with us now We thank you for those Who are with us today And who are back After a long period of way We think especially Of Shona And we thank you Lord For sustaining her Through many trials Many difficulties We thank you for the good news That she received On Friday That the cancer is clear And we pray Lord That you would Uphold her That you would Keep her well And we thank you For the blessing And the encouragement Of seeing her face With us here In this place So bless her And bless her family Draw each one To yourself We pray And we ask all these things
Together with the forgiveness Of our sins In Jesus name Amen We've got a clock That says 10 to 11 So we're in danger tonight Revelation chapter 3 Verses 15 to 22 This is the final letter In a series of letters From Jesus to Various churches in Asia Round about AD 95 But these letters That were written They were not marked Private and confidential You know sometimes We get a letter And it has our names on it And it's marked Private and confidential It's for us But only for us These letters Were never intended To be kept And simply limited To the reading
And the effect Of the place That they were first Addressed to These are open letters They were intended To be read in And used to teach The church of Jesus Christ In all places At all times So this final letter Is addressed For the attention In the first instance Of the church In Laodicea So the first point This evening Is to think For a moment or two About the city The city Of Laodicea Verse 14 To the angel Of the church In Laodicea Write And the letter Follows on From there So first of all Just so we can Get in our minds Eye What the place That Jesus was Writing to Was like What do we know About the city Of Laodicea What was Laodicea Known for Well On the positive In terms of the plus points For Laodicea If you were to be looking At a sort of Quick guide to the city It was known for For three things
It was known for Medicine It was known for Fashion Textiles And it was known For banking So first of all It was known for Its skills In medicine Hendrickson The commentator Says A famous school Of medicine Grew up here Producing Among other things A remedy For weak eyes There was a school Of research Medicine Which was Operational In Laodicea And one of the things They had developed Was a cure A remedy For those who Had weak eyes And we'll see How that Applies to the Cognition How Jesus Uses that picture As he continues In the letter So that was a positive It was known for Its medicine It was also known For its fashion You could say Harris is known In a sense For its fashion For its textiles Harris Tweed Is a name that's Recognized all over The world Well in Laodicea
There was soft Black wool That was taken From the sheep That grazed In the valleys Of Laodicea Shiny soft Black wool It was woven Into garments And it was Essentially the Harris Tweed Of that area It was a desirable Fabric And if you had Laodicean wool You had a prestige Garment So it was known For medicine It was known For its fashion And it was known Finally In terms of the Positives For banking It was three highways That all came together In Laodicea So it was an ideal Place for commerce And it was Consequently A notable Financial Centre So Laodicea With all these Things combined It was a prestige Postcode We could say It was the It was the
Lusk and Tire Of that area It attracted The rich And famous Hendrickson Says it was The home Of the Millionaires So these Were the Positive things About Laodicea As a city On the Negative There was The water Now if you Open The Division Slightly And widen The angle Of the Lens In that area The neighbouring Cities They were known For good water So you had Hierapolis And that was Famous for its Hot springs People loved to Bathe in the Hot springs And they were Known to be of Good medicinal Value So Hierapolis Hot springs Good water People were Attracted to it For that reason Colossae Was on the Other side Of Laodicea And that was Known for its Pure Cold water Which was
Super refreshing To drink But Laodicea It was in the Middle of these Two places Which meant That their Water Was neither Hot Nor cold It was It was Lukewarm Laodicea Was known For its Putrid Lukewarm Water Wilcock The commentator Says Lime laden Water Flowed Tepid And sickly From nearby Springs And apparently The The locals Of Laodicea They like to Watch unsuspecting Visitors Taking a drink From the Water in Laodicea And as they Would drink The water And realise Instantly how Lukewarm And how sickly It was They would Spit it out And Jesus
Uses that Picture As the letter Continues So that's a little About the city Secondly As we think About the The one Who is Addressing The church In Laodicea The one Who writes We are Introduced to The creator That's the second Point The creator 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 So Jesus Himself He introduces Himself Here as the Amen The faithful And true Witness The Amen Meaning The final Word The one Who is Truth And the one Who speaks Truth And then Jesus Identifies Himself As their Creator He says That he is The beginning Of God's Creation And that
Little phrase Connects With John Chapter 1 Verse 1 John Remember His writing Revelation John Writes the Gospel In John 1 Jesus Is introduced As the Word And it Says In the Beginning Was the Word And the Word Was with God And the Word Was God So one Commentator Says Jesus States That he Is the Beginning Of the Creation Of God That is The source Of the Entire Creation And because Jesus Was there At the Beginning Because Jesus Is our Creator He is Able To speak Into our Lives Now when We have a Device that Goes wrong iPad
Or a Watch Or whatever It might Be If we Have a Device that Goes wrong What do we Do with It We might Footer Around With it For a We While Trying to Fix it And we Usually Make it Worse So we Get to That Point Very Quickly Where we Say We have To send It Back So where Do we Send it We send It back To the Maker The Creator Of the Device Because the Maker knows How it All Works And the Maker Knows What it Needs And because Jesus Is their Creator And because Jesus Is our Creator When they And Laodicea Go wrong And when We Go wrong As we So often Do Jesus Is able To speak With authority Into our Lives He is able To put us Right In the Areas That we Go wrong So the City And then We See as
Jesus Introduces Himself That he Is our Creator The third Thing we See here Is that Jesus He brings A conviction Against This church Against These people Verse 15 And 16 Jesus Says 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 So What Does Jesus See?
You Know Even Before We Get There We Think About This For A Moment The Reaction Of Jesus To These People To This Church Is Is Extreme He Says I'm About To Spit You Out Of My Mouth And We Might Think In The First Instance What Is It That's Going On In That Place You Know Is There Awful Criminal Activities That Are Scandalizing That Area What's Going On In That Place What Is It That's Provoking Such A Reaction From Jesus So What Does Jesus See When He Looks Into Laodicea Well He Sees Lukewarmness That's The Disturbing Thing What Does A Lukewarm Christian Look Like Well
A Lukewarm Christian Looks A Lot Like The Nominal Christian That Stuart Was Speaking About This Morning From Luke Chapter 13 And We Didn't Discuss This We Didn't Talk About This But These Two Passages They Mesh Jesus Speaks To The The Baron The Nominal The Lukewarm Christian So What Does Lukewarm Christian Look Like Well The Lukewarm!
Christian Is Half Hearted Not Too Bothered About The Things Of God The Lukewarm Christian When He Comes Under Pressure As This World Puts Us Under Pressure The Lukewarm Christian Is Ready To Compromise Become Silent Rather Than Stand Up For Jesus The Lukewarm Christian May Be A Christian Who Has Some Assurance That They Are Escaping Hell And Going To Heaven But They Have Lost Any Desire To Grow There Is No Desire To Live A Holy Life There Is No Real Desire To Become More Like Jesus The
Lukewarm Christian Will Go To Probably As Few Services As He Can Get Away With The Lukewarm Lukewarm Christian Will Try To Do As Little As He Can To Serve The Lord But Still To Be Recognized As A Christian The Lukewarm!
The Christian Will Be Stingy About How Much Time And Talents And Money He Gives To The Lord And Even The Things He Does Give To The Lord It It Is Not Given Cheerfully It Is Given Reluctantly Brooks The Commentator Says Like A Hot Meal That Has Begun To Cool Down And Congeal Or A Cold Meal That Has Warmed Up In The Sun And Begun To Curl At The Edges These Laodicean Christians Sickened The Lord Jesus Christ And The Traged Was That The Laodicean Christians They Weren't Lukewarm When It Came To Finances They Poured Themselves Into Making Sure That Their Investments Were Secure The
Lukewarm Christians In Laodicea They Weren't Lukewarm When It Came To Fashion And Medical Research They They Were Whole Hearted They Were Committed In These Areas That's Why They Were So Successful But They Were Half Hearted They Were Lukewarm When They Came To Following Jesus And Serving Jesus And The Question We Have To Ask Remembering That This Letter Was Designed For Us And Not Just Them Is What About Us What About Me What About You Are We As Committed To Christ As We Are To Our Careers Or Our Studies Our Our Our
Leisure Time The Teams That We Follow I Was Watching The Football Yesterday Afternoon And I Was Just Struck By How Much Zeal There Is In Watching A Team And I Sharing On That There's Great Volume There's Great Passion There's Huge Commitment On The Pitch And At The Side Of The Pitch Is That Level Of Zeal Evident In My Christian Life And Yours You Know If Not If All Jesus Gets Is The Leftovers The Scraps Of Our Time And Our Talents And Our Money Then He Convicts Us As
He In Love Convicted The Laodiceans Conviction! Fourth Point Is Confusion Jesus' Words To The Laodiceans Were Strong Words And They Would Have Shocked And Probably Embarrassed That Congregation God Remember These Letters Were Being Read In The Whole The Whole Area They Didn't Just Read Their Own Letter They Read What Jesus Said About All The Churches And So The Letters Would Have Shocked The Congregation And Laodicea And The Reason They Would Have Been Shocked Was Because They Were Confused About Their Spiritual Stay!
I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing. Not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
So there's confusion in the minds and the hearts of the Christians in Laodicea. What had caused this confusion? Well, the thing that had caused this confusion was worldly thinking.
Their minds were not being transformed by the Word of God, as it says in Romans chapter 12, I think. Their minds, their thinking was being conformed to this world.
The problem in Laodicea was that this world's mindset had come into the church. Derek Thomas says, The worldly man or woman in Laodicea was super comfortable, very self-assured, and proud of his own successes.
The worldly man in Laodicea said, If I remember rightly from one of the commentators, there was an earthquake that hit Laodicea at one stage.
And the government would support and give relief to places where there was an earthquake that destroyed a city. Laodicea said, We don't want your support.
We don't want to make any applications because we don't need anything. We have everything we need. We have money. We have health. We have medical experts. We have the best of gear in every area.
And that pride and that self-sufficiency had infiltrated the church. They had lost their sense of need of the Lord.
And yes, they were still doing things. They held their services. They had a busy intimation sheet. They appeared still to be working as a church.
And Jesus says in verse 15, I know your works. I see your works. I've read your intimation sheet. But they were doing things in their own strength.
They were leaning on their own understanding. And because of that, they were laboring in vain. They hadn't even realized it. So there was confusion in Laodicea.
They had lost sight of how wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked they were without the grace of Jesus. And they needed to look in the mirror of God's word.
Because that's where the confusion would be dealt with. That's where the clarity would come from. That's where they would actually be able to see themselves. And when they saw themselves as Jesus saw them, they needed to sing, just as we have needed to sing a few minutes ago, I need thee every hour, most gracious God.
I hope we sang that from our hearts, acknowledging that we can do nothing as a congregation, as individuals.
We can do nothing apart from Jesus. They hadn't realized that in Laodicea. And so Jesus had to bring that to their attention.
Painful as it was. Fifth point is counsel. Jesus says in verse 18, I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich and white, so that you may be rich and white garments, so that you may clothe yourselves, 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. Now we might think, given the damning report that Laodicea seemed to be receiving, we may think, all is lost in this place.
We may think that Jesus, having begun the letter in the way that he's begun the letter, will just say to them, you are condemned, and this church needs to be shut down.
But Jesus doesn't see any of that. Jesus counsels them. Gently, lovingly, he counsels them.
Wilcock, the commentator, says, even Laodicea has a chance. The fact that he rebukes her shows that he still loves her, and the threat of total rejection if she will not repent.
is balanced by the promise of total reinstatement, if she will. So how does Jesus counsel them? Some of us may have had to go at times in our lives to receive counsel.
How does Jesus counsel them? Well, he begins with the truth. He tells them about themselves and how much they are in need. And then he says to them, come to me, and I will give you what you need.
It's very simple. Jesus says in verse 17, you are poor, but you can buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become eternally rich.
Jesus says, you are naked, but you can buy from me not black wool, but white holy garments, the clothes of Christ's righteousness, to clothe yourselves.
You are blind, says Jesus in verse 17. You may be able to heal human eyes with your eye salve, with the Laodicean stamp, but Jesus says, you can do nothing for your eyes unless you come to me.
He says, you can buy from me salve to anoint your eyes so that you may spiritually see. What is the price tag for all these things?
What will it cost them? Well, it will simply cost them a contrite spirit, a repentant heart.
Jesus says in verse 19, those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. So be zealous and repent.
And it's the same counsel for you and for I this evening. If we have drifted from Jesus, if we are lukewarm, if we recognise that there has been some pride and self-sufficiency that's crept in, Jesus says, repent.
Turn around. And as we repent, we are forgiven, we are restored. And our zeal is refreshed by the grace of Jesus.
Counsel. Point number six, we're almost done, is communion. Jesus says in verse 20, 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. Now this text is very often used as an evangelistic text.
The sermon goes something like this. Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. Will you open the door of your heart and will you let him in?
Will you become a Christian? That's the text. That's the sermon that's been preached a thousand times. Jesus is knocking at the heart of sinners.
Will we recognize that he is the Savior? Will we open the door of our hearts and let him in? And that's not a bad sermon. That's a true sermon and that's the gospel. As the gospel is preached, Jesus does knock at the door of our hearts and if we let him in, he will take our sin away, he will save us, he will make us Christians.
And for some here tonight, maybe Jesus is knocking at the door of our hearts. We've never yet opened the door. We have the opportunity this evening to open the door of our hearts and to let him in to become Christians.
If you're hearing that knocking, open the door. But if we take this verse in its context, what we have to see is that Jesus is not knocking on the door of an unbelieving heart.
And Jesus, as he writes to Laodicea, he's not writing to non-Christians. He's speaking to Christians. Jesus, as he writes this letter, he's standing at the door, he's standing on the outside of the closed door of a lukewarm church.
Jesus is standing at the closed door of a lukewarm Christian's life. And he's knocking.
He's not kicking it down. He's gently knocking. And he's patiently knocking. So what is Jesus offering the lukewarm Christian?
Well, he's offering communion. He's offering renewed intimacy. He's offering fellowship with God.
And there's another picture in this of the amazing grace of Jesus. Because when we think about the congregation in Laodicea, there's nothing about that congregation that is endearing.
They're proud. They've taken Jesus for granted. They have little love and zeal for the Lord. They've no sense of wonder at the cross.
There's nothing attractive about the people that Jesus is writing to in the first instance. And yet Jesus loves them. And he wants them to open their lives back up to him so that they can enjoy communion with him.
And that's what Jesus offers us. Not just at the Lord's table. but in a sense every day as we open our eyes Jesus is knocking.
And if I and you will put down our phones and rearrange our priorities of our super busy lives and open the door then we will know the blessing that continual blessing of communion of fellowship of friendship with Jesus.
peace. So as we sang come let us to the Lord our God with contrite hearts return. John Flavel the Puritan writer says strive to come up to the highest attainment of communion with God in this world and be not contented with just so much grace as will secure you from hell labor after such a height of grace and communion with God as may bring you into the suburbs of heaven on earth.
The last point is just a word 20 seconds is conquer. Verse 21 to the one who conquers I will grant him to sit with me on my throne as I also conquered says Jesus and sat down with my father on his throne.
So the final promise of Jesus to this congregation in Laodicea is that they will conquer. They will conquer with Jesus if they are trusting in him.
And as we look to the cross as we must do day by day and as we look to the empty tomb as we are reminded to every Lord's day what did Jesus conquer?
He conquered sin he conquered Satan he conquered death hell and today he sits in heaven the lamb upon his throne crowned with many crowns and if we trust in him he promises he promises that we will sit with him in heaven he who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches let's pray Lord God we thank you for your word we thank you for this letter and we confess that as we read this letter it is much like looking in a mirror and we see ourselves so much in the life of the
Laodiceans we confess that often we are neither hot nor cold often we are found in a lukewarm stake but we thank you that you are the God who stands at the door and knocks we thank you that we have the promise that even though we wander and stray and even though we do that often we thank you that we have the promise that if we will open the door of our hearts that you will come in and sup with us that we will know times of refreshing times of communion with the God who loves us and the God who has made us to find the greatest joy and rest in a close walk with you so help us we pray to hear that knocking to hear your voice and to come and to know the blessing of nearness with God and as we conclude we pray that you would give us a vision of the Lamb upon his throne that we would see that Jesus is the conquering king and all that he has done he has done for us and we will share with him eternally if we believe and we pray all these things in Jesus name amen we'll sing to conclude 107 in mission praise crown him with many crowns the
Lamb upon his throne may oh is is is
And his compares them for his own, that all in him he blessed.
Prayer in the Lord of life, who triumphed o'er the grave, and rose victorious in the sky for those he came to save.
His glory shall we sing, who died and rose on high, who died eternal life to bring, and lives again behind.
Prayer in the Lord of heaven, and rose in worlds above, and in the King to whom is kept the wondrous name of God.
O hail, Redeemer, hail, for love has died for me.
Thy proof shall never, never fail, through love's eternity. Now, with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the fellowship of God the Holy Spirit, be with us all now and forevermore. Amen.