What Does Jesus Think? (Part 7)

Some of you probably heard about the latest craze is called extreme sports.

While extreme sports is basically any sport that is taken to an extreme example snowboarding is fine but snowboarding jumping from an plan on the parachute is apparently greater. I'm told that skiing dangerous steep slopes is wonderful for me, but for a lot of people but I'm also told that skiing down those steep slopes, jumping from a helicopter is even more wonderful extreme sports mountain biking is great but I'm told that biking down snow-covered mountain slalom course at 70 miles an hour is really great. The point of this. Just about all of us watch these athletes perform these extreme sports. While we are sitting in our overstuffed lounge chairs where we are safely and the public parked in front of the television, and as we sit there watching without amazement. Our hearts are racing and the headset is shaken and disbelieve and praying to God that our kids would never do such foolish things, dangerous things we overlook one very important matter very important matter. I want to share it with you today but before I tell you I'm gonna ask you a question. This is a survey to help me so I need you to help me understand some things okay is not testing you.

This is just for my benefit on ask you this. Who is the person who is taking greater risk. The athlete or the television viewer. If you think it's athletes raise your hand if you think it's a television viewer, raise your hand while just about most of you said death was okay.

Another question who is in greater danger.

The couch potato champion.

All the athlete who is performing these extreme sports calculator champions all right athletes well contrary in and the but that's not news for you. You know that the ones who are in greater danger are the armchair athletes you so Michael, how come how can you even say that we sit back and you watch your blood pressure rises, most likely you stuffing yourself with junkfood in the clubs, your arteries, your internalized stress is often moments with no outlet for these athletes. On the other hand, who think they are in danger. There are training and they are keeping fit and in their fitness.

The stress level is lowered in their fitness. The lungs are more efficient and operate more efficiently and saw that in reality hurtling through the air is less risky than sitting in your overstuffed chair. At least that's my theory and I'm sticking to it because I'm going to take it from there to the spiritual life to the Christian life because I want to show you that in the spiritual life in the Christian life. It works exactly the same way those who sit back and do nothing and criticize everything are in far greater danger than those who roll up their sleeves and take risks for God. Those who are forever receiving forever consuming forever taking forever watching are in a far more risk category than those who are giving of themselves, those was sacrificing of themselves, those who are extending themselves, those who are forever serving in forever. In fact, the spiritual couch potato champion is in a far far far more dangerous situation than those who are sitting physically in front of the television show you. In fact, if you compare the spiritual with the physical I can tell you most assuredly that the spiritual armchair athletes are running far greater risk than those who are physically lazy. The spiritual armchair athletes may feel safe but they are being destroyed from the inside out at the spiritual armchair athletes usually develop the following symptoms listen to me very develop a weaker love for Christ. They develop a weaker face muscles they develop a weaker lungs to inhale the grace of God and the forgiveness of God and the mercy of God, they develop weaker hearts for the things of God and ultimately it can cause them spiritual destruction, which is far more serious than physical destruction, according to Jesus, the spiritual couch potatoes that he doesn't call with you'll see in a minute because of even worse, according to Jesus, the spiritual couch potatoes in Laodicea were in danger of being thrown up by Jesus so wanted to turn with the priest of the book of Revelation chapter 3, beginning at verse 14. This is the last in a series of messages on the seven churches seven messages that given by the resurrected Christ 27 churches in Asia minor and they represent every church of every time and in every age the book of Revelation chapter 3 beginning of verse 14 to the angel of the church endowed procedure right. These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.

I wish you were either one or the other and so because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. I'm about to spit you out of my mouth far you say I'm rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need anything, but you do not realize that you are wretched, beautiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so you can become rich and wide close to where so you can cover your shameful nakedness and salve to put on your eyes so you can see those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am standing in the door and knock. If anyone hear my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church father who heard those words. He who has ears, let them hear seven times.

This is the seventh time as we read and so we plead with you in the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, that you would open our inner ears, our spiritual ears and that you open our spiritual eyes in Jesus name, amen. The Christians in Laodicea. The church of Laodicea has the distinction of being the only church of all the seven churches that Jesus could not find one good thing to say about them.

We've seen some of them in miserable conditions well. Is that something that Jesus could point out there and said well here's something good, but not here. Laodicea itself is a city was founded about 250 BC by Atticus of Syria, and he named it Laodicea after his wife love this year. Laodicea was a remarkable city. I wanted to hear me because this is really an important message.

It was a remarkable city. It was the kind of city that business motivational speakers would use as an example for all other city governments to emulate. It would be the kind of city that business consultants would have pointed to and say here is a a role model of a city that you should emulate. I mean it was a city that business consultants would use as an exhibit a on the PowerPoint on the screen and they would say let me tell you about Laodicea. It was a great financial center. Every bank in the world had an office in Laodicea. Every brokerage firm in every investment firm could not afford not to have an office in Laodicea. That's how important was. Not only that, but it was the manufacturing hub of Asia minor. It was a manufacturing center was the center of manufacturing the finest clothes in the world. It was the fashion capital of the world. In fact, was the Milan of our time is the fashion capital of the world there in Laodicea where the sheep grazed world renowned for developing this black violet Shawnee rule that was manufactured into the finest of clothes. But not only that it was the medical center of the whole area in the nearby Temple, the Temple of Monte Carlo was a medical school attached to the temple. In fact, this medical school became world-famous at that time for discovering and I resolve that help cure all eyes diseases.

Laodicea was a financial capital of the world. It was a closing manufacturing capital of the world. It was a medical center of the world and yet Jesus says to them, you might be the financial capital of the world, but your spiritual poverty is grinding you might be the closing manufacturing center of the world, but your spiritual nakedness exposes your shame you my boast about your eye powder eyes salve that you have developed. But in reality you are spiritually blind that you cannot even see around us.

Condition and as was seen in all the seven messages. The Lord Jesus Christ takes one characteristic of the city and he takes one characteristic of that culture and he either applies it to them all.

He wants them against and that's what he's doing here, but there is 1/4 characteristic about that city of Laodicea that you must understand in order to understand what Jesus is saying and that is the water supply in the city of Lau to see the water supply came to the city of Laodicea through several miles of underground aqueducts and by the time it reached the city that water was found. It was dirty. It was stupid. In fact, it was not warm or hot enough like the hot Springs of nearby Heliopolis and it was not cold enough that is refreshing streams that like it was in the nearby city of Colossae know the supply of water in the city of Lau, the senior was only good for one thing and that is you drink it when you want to vomit. Back then they did not pump so much.

Of course, so that they'll do with the way they got them so for some sort of other drink some water from Laodicea that will really take care of your here's what Jesus is saying to the Laodicea and he's saying you all like your city water. Your indifference is making me sick. Your apathy is making me nauseous. Your halfhearted commitment makes me feel like I just drank a glass of your water. Someone said there are some believers who may Jesus weep. Some believers make Jesus angry and there are some who make him sick. The resurrected Lord Jesus Christ is saying three things here to believers in the church in Laodicea first. He alerts them to the disastrous condition.

Secondly, advise them how to get out of the disastrous condition and thirdly, he awards those who get out of that disastrous condition.

First, Tillotson beloved. The truth is, everyone of us young or old everyone of us, including your pastor. We all have blind spots and that the reason the call blind spots as were not aware of them and that the question is not that whether you have blind spots or I have blind spots or not, will have them. The question is how do you deal with your blind spots. When somebody confronts you with the there are several ways a corrective somebody talking to you about your blind spots with a godly person would say thank you. Please let me take this to the Lord. I'm going to examine my life and I'm gonna do business with God and ungodly person becomes angry what you mean blind spots. I mean, you're basically protesting because they think the perfect that's a problem then there's 1/3 group.

The third group is made up of people who don't react one way or the other is like the guy who says I'm neither for nor against apathy. Did you know truly and as I spent time with the Lord with with his word here in the Scripture you know that apathy probably is the Lord's enemy number one PC. He knows how to handle the phonetics for how to handle those who reject them but it is those who are halfhearted as the figure below are the hardest on the worst time.

Beloved, I wanted to do something. What amounted on whole reason why our nation is in the situation is in today. The whole reason why we are now talking about marriage other than the way God intended at six for 6000 years is because the believers in Jesus Christ were apathetic and so he warns him. He says your blind spot is that you are not realistic about your spiritual condition. Your blind spot is that you so smart and self-satisfied with where you are spiritually blind spot is that you are resting on your worldly reputation your blind spot is that you are placing your confidence in your material resources.

Your blind spot is that your sub with the statement of your net worth. In other words, you are blind to the real condition. Your real spiritual condition.

Jesus see straight through it. You might be materially rich, says Jesus to the lab to see an but you are spiritually homeless and penniless you all my dress-up and designer clothes, but in reality you are naked in your shame and sin, you might be able to boast about the eyes salve that your medical Center has produced, but in reality you are blind to what really really really matters. Beloved, listen all sins are infectious all sins and are infectious.

But the most infectious sin of all is the sin of pride is the sin of pride and Jesus had to speak to them so bluntly has his if he is shaking them up and say wake up and smell the coffee you are a better in spite of your banks you are blind in spite of your paragraph you are naked in spite of your closing manufacturing company.

The first alerts and secondly he advises them. He said I counsel you look at verse 18. Please meditate on this a foundational verse, verse 18. He says I counsel you to know I read this verse on the how many times during the week but every time I read this verse I got goosebumps all over Bob with moderate I got goosebumps all over my body and I thought the more I read the more familiar I become with that. I really didn't every time I am getting goosebumps just talking about it right now.

I counsel you Lord God said, let there be light, and light was in its place is a God who kept his fingers and all the galaxies began to develop such meticulous precision around his design and he says I counsel you listen to said I want you people that I command you said I demand of you and nobody will send anything he describes himself as the ruler of the universe and first verse. Why all because Jesus respects the freedom that he gives us-I advise you. I know if you ever been there or not but I know I've been there and not being with other people who been there when you see someone who is foolishly and in an a in a foolish trip in his life or her life hurting people left and right hurting people left and right. How do we pray. I think most of us have met all of us. We pray verse and God stop change our right entrances on speaking to change something stop and God says I'm sending the various messages I'm sending them different messengers. Entrances on counseling, I'm counseling the mom advising owner I wanted to listen very carefully to God can terrify us if he wants to.

He often doesn't. God can order us but he doesn't get demand of us, but often he doesn't he prefers to counselors. He prefers to call us. He prefers first to advises he prefers first to guide us. He prefers first to leaders all to be sure, there are tragic ends*refusal of his counsel, there are dire consequences*refusal of his advise. Yes, I don't miss that. But he begins with counseling. I counsel you PC. What I get goosebumps every time I think the God of the universe is I counsel you with as he counseled about he counsels them telling them to come to him and to buy true gold that is refined with fire to come to him and by real close that will cover their shame of sin to come to him and by real good eyedrops that is not just going to cure them, but is going to heal and from the spiritual blindness. Probably some of you already kind of wondered when you heard the Bible being read.

If you read it on your own and is a limit put your ear and said Jesus said, come and buy from me. What is meant by a weakened by our salvation. Now is our Jesus is saying you cannot come by my salvation from him now in a million know what you heard it right, you can never buy your salvation in the hundred lifetimes. So what is Jesus saying what is he saying here, and by from listen listen very carefully. He is offering the deal on the lifetime he is offering the bargain of the lifetime he is offering the Best Buy in history is what is saying come to me and in exchange all of your giving me your sin and shame give you forgiveness comfortably and in exchange of real pride on your arrogance and your haughtiness.

I will give you my righteousness come to me and an exchange of your rusty iron of stubbornness and disobedience give you my gold of obedience cultivates an exchange of your misguided pride in your accomplishments and your achievements. I will give you true peace true joy and true contentment at the only a foolish person returned on this deal. Those of you don't know, I grew up in the Middle East and I know but when I see one. And if I don't see about. I'll try to get one that I recently on the authority of the greatest bargaining the world of the hump that we deliver the best dog that is ever existed. Will the Lord Jesus and say dear to me that flash of your life and I give you true riches. What a deal.

What are the scholars always love to argue about everything and if they don't have an argument will create one, and scholars have always argued with her the church in Lowder CM was made up of nominal Christians. Those people who never really knew the truth, or was it made up of believers who knew the truth in them became carnal and turned her back on the truth I'm a very simple answer to that argument. I don't care. It doesn't matter to me. It makes no difference really makes no difference what condition they were in.

If Satan has blinded any of the heart in their hearts. Whether that person is a churchgoer or not, whether that person had once known the truth or not it makes no difference. The message of the resurrected Jesus Christ as the son come, come to me. In fact the risen Christ is the one who is doing all the coming to you, he's the one who says I am knocking on the door of your heart and waiting. He is the one. Although he is a master of the house, yet he does not beat down the door of your heart. He's a gentleman. He gently knocks and that he waits and then he knocks in the weights of war, and then he knocks and the words are more interview. And open the door of your heart and invite him in his final decision about the judgment of anyone is dependent on whether you've heard his knock and open the door of your heart and began to fellowship with him to see if he first election. Secondly, he advises them unfairly.

He awards those who hear his voice, he will overcome he will give them the right. He said I give you the right to sit with me on my throne of your mind and really doesn't mind it really does my first he says give me the trash in your life and I'll exchange it with the goal the real gold, and then he says if you accept this unbelievable bargain if you accept unbelievable exchange then you go to sit with me on the throne receive this award exceeds all of the promises that we have been seeing in all the seven churches received and awarded individual on this one exceeds more exceeds him in glory exceeds him and honor exceeds an authority as if Jesus is saying let me in the very chambers of your heart into the very seat of your will enter the very seat of your decision-making and I will lick you into my father's throne room, you invite me to daily fellowship with you. Not a breakfast or lunch because back then there were very small meal but for supper, which was the main meal is the main foundation of your life in the cement focus of your life. Get me in there and I will not only fellowship with you right here in your home and your business in your car on whatever you go but you fellowship with me in heaven. You will hand me the authority over your life and I will give you authority to judge the universe is a great bargain is a great deal if the deal of a lifetime.

I can tell you with authority that is the deal of a lifetime.

Please review don't turn it down. I want to conclude by talking to you about those words without repeated in every one of the seven messages one sentence repeated, repeated same no change exactly the same repeated he who has an ear, letting here visiting what is Jesus saying please whatever you do do not switch off.

This is very important. He who has an inlet and it wasn't me. I lifted deliberately to the end is what it means. It means you cannot be sitting here today while watching television or hearing by radio and sank yourself. This message would've been great for so-and-so, it means that you gonna say man I wish so-and-so here to listen to this message or hear this message: this message no no no no no. That's what Jesus meant. He's meant that this is a message for you and you and you and you. It is for us to hear and it is for us to obey Jesus is saying that this message is meant for each of you who have heard and read it every admonition meant for you every promise meant for you every encouragement it's meant for you, he who has an ear, let him hear means that Jesus is message to the seven churches were not only meant for those original recipients, but is meant for everyone of us who here today.

He was in, let him hear.

Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way.

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