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The Church That Made God Sick (cont'd)

Destined for Victory / Pastor Paul Sheppard
The Cross Radio
May 31, 2021 8:00 am

The Church That Made God Sick (cont'd)

Destined for Victory / Pastor Paul Sheppard

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May 31, 2021 8:00 am

An examination of the message God gave John for the church at Laodicea. (Included in the 7-part series You’ve Got Mail.)

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Don't build it on your money your portfolio how diversified your portfolio is the wrong things happen and you got to figure out how long you can work beyond. When you why because the things of this so easily changing times change of circumstances change. But God remains the same. Hello and welcome to this memorial day addition of destined for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California while the church at Laodicea was not much different than some churches today its members had grown complacent in their faith trusting in their own wealth and success instead of God. This was a lukewarm body. Believers in God strongly encourage them to repent today will be reminded that only God can bring joy, peace and stability in the midst of life's chaos and uncertainty stay with us right now. But remember, you can always subscribe to the podcasts on demand@pastorpaul.net that's modified or wherever you enjoy your podcast now with this message. The church that made God sick is pastor Paul if you have noticed your job that love you as much as you love your job because they will downsize you right out the door. Oh come on now, they'll downsize you right out the door.

They don't need a whole lot of excuse or reason just have a few bad quarters. The bottom one in the wrong direction and focus it up in a board room and float around in big things and make a quick decision and the next thing you know you get yourself popping and if you're higher up in all that we know they can't just you know they have to give me a parachute and all the time they'll strap it on your back and kick you out the play no-fault lumber turn into a 201 just like that, so you cannot give your self impacts in things that are not eternal you want to be a whole lot about your work, but your work should consume you. It should be your identity, your job shouldn't be the essence of who you are.

They will get you out of there in a hurry when I was single I was running a department of a car leasing company.

We went to work one morning thinking all was well found ourselves in a board room with the big shot from headquarters and in a few minutes time.

We've all notified that they were shutting down this whole part of their business. We set that one lady broke out in tears. One of the other department had gotten to see that I just bought a house.

How in the world am I going to take care that that wasn't their problem is all of us who ran departments were driving demos and we had driven to most lark gas a lot.

We all had to find a way home.

Somebody would say we shut down if it will keep a few of you on just for a few days to clean up some things and get the records together and all that but for most of you today is your last day somebody would brave enough to those of us who are leading the departments and have demos. I was the longest period of time. They said pocket and I told you before, I didn't know how to get home on the bus from that job. It was on the outskirts of town of Philadelphia on the bus. I know how to get there on the average, dawn up there and pick up the phone call she wasn't not Beyoncé but she was a finalist at that point, no place for me to finalist and so I called need to come get me at work.

Is that what get me money going out the window make you cranky, come get me and said because that was listen, don't you build your life on your career is not worth your life on a boil about Christ will be there for ever.

He will be there for whatever he said don't build it on your money, your portfolio, how diversified your portfolio is the wrong things happen and you got to figure out how long you can work behind when you hope to retire.

Why because the things of this are so so easily changing and he said you ought to be excited about me. I wish you were about your spiritual walk. I wish you were fervent in your prayer, fervent in your worship. I wish that you know how good I was that I reached down and found you when you lend instruction when you stop and think about the condition you were in when Christ found we found the Lord, I know what you mean when you use that phrase you found the Lord, the Lord in 1973.

Know what you mean, that's the year you got say let's change the language you didn't find him because he was a loss he found you in 1973 and you are lost and you and you had no hope of ever knowing the righteous God ever having fellowship and communion and right standing with him. And when you were in that condition the Lord. He reached down now on solid ground sand my child and stamped himself on and said you are my child forever some to be excited about something to give him glory about how to make it okay for you to raise your hand.

Sometimes when a soul is bearing witness to what's in your heart go screaming that crazy at a ballgame and then come to church at the Museum the same way some worship is rowdy, some Baltimore cools a little cooler but there will be some excitement even when you're cool cool excited about Jesus reason why never raised my hand during a song or anything like that or clap much or whatever it because I'm not the monster.

Then you go to the ballgame with and you see him standing in the natural mind, part a referee and all and yell things and throw things in all that you so you're not know is that we learn to be excited about the wrong things is going to be a sports man I love my team to know me, because many things as I can in order to go as far into the season as I can tell he could think that he was teasing me about my position. You don't go for the 49 is the past. I wish you would just go which I was so but when y'all drop off somebody so I'm not a country because of the night is in the Eagles grew up in Philadelphia born and laid on the playground with most of Monday up in Philly, so I'm down with the Eagles when those things drop off.

I got to start the season with about five teams. That way you can get farther into the season and the root against what you gotta make sure it's okay to be passed in about some other things but make sure that priority. Why Christ is first and foremost because all eternity, and you got understand you got understand that he said I wish you were hot. I wish you were excited about me and what I done in your life.

He said I wish you were called. He wasn't contrasting hot to cold, he was contrasting both of them against lukewarm. He said I wish you a call because if you were called cold water is refreshing when you first a day when the weather turns hot in triple digits in all that you been out working in the sun you been working hard yourself and sweating and hydrating all that your body is cold and I tell you the right glass of water at the right time will just minister to you just minister for your body is going down his hands on all the places in your body in Jesus may be well will be the fancy stuff just a good glass of cold water will do the trick. That's what he's told me that when he came in families from the country hunting. He was the hydrated and he got like he was about to die and he said his brother Esau and cook and still he said his brother.

Please give me some stew and that's when he lost his birthright because Jacob would've old church itself, so sure I give you some.

Still, if you give me your birthright. All Esau needed was just to get in the shade was to tricking the blessing he should have called for somebody else in his father's house. So would you bring me some water. Your body craves water your body craves that ability to get hydrated again and to get restored again and God said to this charge. I wish you a glass of water to meet the needs of will be right back with more today. Suggestion for victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard listen to the broadcast on demand@pastorpaul.net that's Pastor Paul.net. We'll find a host of great resources that are online store, and that's also the place to find links to all of Pastor Paul, social media, including YouTube, you can subscribe to some of his best video clips. Are you feeling spiritually dehydrated today. Your spirit needs to be refreshed is only one place you can go only one source they can quench that kind of thirst is Pastor Paul Sheppard with the rest of today's teaching the church that made God saying God wants to refresh us season that I walk with him when we get spiritually.

Try dehydrated, but you can't stay that way. That's a dangerous state to state again to get into the presence of God through worship and spend some time with him and let him refresh you when the apostle was preaching. He said, so that when those times over the same come from the presence of the Lord you get to get them every now and then God will send a wave of refreshing and it will restore you and will build you backup just like a glass of water on a hot day tell you something God says I want my church to be like that. I wanted to be a place where people experience the cold refreshing power of the spirit of God. Not only should we be that well, but when believers come into our present experience of refreshing from the Lord church and be a place where you get beat up and beat down on to be a place where it is spoken, it may convict you, but behind that truth is a love for you that God had put in the hearts of his people because he wants his best for your life Jarchow to be refreshing church being fun and exciting like going the boring church boring and church ought to be mutually exclusive. We say when the presence of God Bible said forevermore should be got to go to church hello.

You will be how long your church like that because you been experiencing the same power of God in the midst of his people. This church I wish you were hot boiling with C. Wish you were cold, refreshing meeting the needs of the thirsty, he said, but because your neighbor because you are warm.

I am about to spew you out of my I love the fact that he said I'm about to do it.

This is a word that calls us up.

It doesn't condemn us not saying I'm through with you. I'm throwing you out.

That's it. He said I'm about to you are sickeningly, but it's not to like. So he says be honest and repent now. Notice how he describes them. He says in verse 17 you say I'm rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you don't realize that you are wretched, pitiful, blind and naked. How do they turn the corner making God said how do we avoid making God sick three things number one perceive your true condition before God got sent to them like the city you live and you think you're rich increase with those don't need a thing as a charger, just like the city you reside in self-satisfied, complacent, he said what you need to perceive your true condition true condition. If you are just the opposite of what you think you are this time that some of us come to grips with who we really are. This time some of us come to grips with where we really are in our lives this time that some of us quit believing our press releases and quit believing that we are who people think we are.

They think that because I don't know you.

God knows who you really are. When the lights are off when nobody is around and he says you are the exact opposite Laodicea at the way you describe yourself. It's dangerous to be out of touch with yourself dangerous for you to be wrong and think you're right. And so he says to them what you think you are, but here is what I know you are in the fourth way to avoid making God secures the perceive your true condition before God is time to come to grips with the truth. Sometimes it's embarrassing sometimes produces shame, but that's what the cross is about Jesus.

Now you're saying and it's time for us to come to grips here I am at my work with my shameful spiritual nakedness, but I can bring it to God who already knows those things when you come before God and finally get on don't think that your God, any information I now know he was there wretched and blind and naked all the time and he says it sickens me before you where I can transform your life and make you the person I called you to be on the syllabus get in touch with who we really are. He said you look at yourself. One way but I know the truth about and he said you got to perceive your true condition before God and man.

If you want about making God signally proceeded to condition but number to pay the price of total surrender. Look at what he says.

He says to them that you have got to yield those things to me so that I can make you what I'm destined to be make you spiritually rich but you're going to have to pay a price that here the way but he says you have to buy from me gold you have to buy from me gold that's been refined in the fire fire refined things are getting a principal just as was the case with one of the hot water was pure and had real benefit. But he says just as it is with water. It is with fire. Heat will refined you got a from the gold that's refined in the fire, you gotta pay the price of surrender and change some things you can make your life more valuable.

But notice the language of the refined fire. The ideas I got some work to do on you and part of the work is ongoing at the put you through some fiery experiences missing some of your same some of your life ablaze and I will let you know is because God loves you and he want you to pay the price of surrender, so that that blaze can bring forth that is valuable have to pay the price if you're going to surrender your spiritual self-satisfaction and complacency.

Some areas of your life to God. God wants us to burn some things up when God let you go to fiery experiences because I love you because he's trying to consume you is because he wants to burn up was not right and he can bring that which is pure Bible describes it.

Chapter 43 verse two when you pass to the waters.

I'll be with you and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you watch the Mexicans and when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze to God not trying to kill you. He's trying to make it more valuable but you gotta pay the price of surrender to what a blessing generation sometime this summer. As you Be blessed until a fire has been set in that area of your life sometime before God will bless you all you you fly. Just burn your BBQ.

You can use use and when he got bless you because he wants you to come like your here is the heart cry of Jesus to everyone on earth. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and I will sup with him, and he with me. Well every day here in Destin for victory.

We ask people to stand with us financially is because we are listener supported ministry me_there for just a moment. This means the only way we exist is through the prayers and financial support of people just like you and in 2021.

Our prayers that you might consider if you've not done so already becoming a destined for victory.

Partner partners are a special group of people that give a monthly gift of at least $20 if you can make that commitment.

Today we have some special gifts and I'll tell you about in just a moment, but Pastor Paul joins me again right now pastor take a moment please and tell us why partners are so important to this ministry you I'm glad you brought that up when partners are really the lifeline of this ministry without those people committed to giving regularly.

We literally could not continue doing what were doing. I guess people hear that a lot, but it is really true without partners. We simply can't get the gospel out to the world. The gospel is free but the plumbing cost an awful lot of money and we want to continue preaching. As I've said in times past we've got generations to reach that have never heard the gospel and they misunderstand when they hear people talk about things like serving the Lord and we need to make it plain to them. The only way I can do it is with my partners, helping us reach them through their generous gifts. I'm so grateful for every single partner and I'm praying in 2021. That God will give us thousands more. There are many more outlets and many more opportunities we could take advantage of in our ministry but the only thing that holds us back is lack of income. So I'm praying that God is good to touch the heart of many more people to realize that we just your gift of $20 or more.

You can help us remain strong on the stations and outlets were on and reach many more with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I think you pastor and that's what it's all about reaching more people with the gospel and if you make that commitment by pledging $20 or more per month to help us do that will send you with our thanks a couple of great gifts including one of Pastor Paul's most popular CDs.

The best of let my people smile.

It's a compilation of some of Pastor's most humorous illustrations and stories, something that will be sure to make you laugh and learn at the same time, call 855-339-5500 or mail your gift letting us know you wish to become a partner. The address is destined for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538.

You can also sign up by clicking become a partner right at the top of the homepage@pastorpaul.net and if you're already a partner Pastor Paul and I want to say a heartfelt thank you and challenge you to consider becoming a legacy partner. These are special ministry friends are able to support us with gifts of $2500 or more each year. The details are available at our website.

Pastor Paul.net or by calling 855-339-5500 and if you can't become a partner today but would like to make a generous one-time donation to Destin for victory will be glad to send you by request Pastor Paul's booklet traits of a virtuous woman that's traits of a virtuous woman. The booklet from Pastor Paul in our gift to you by request for your gift to Destin for victory. I want you to know that there are some God ideas for your life that's lesson number one from the early life of David. A lot of us are in the business of coming up with ideas for our lives going to tell you the difference between a good idea and I got an idea that's next time.

In Pastor Paul Shepard's message lessons from the pasture. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory