Cold? Hot? or Lukewarm? Part 3

New listeners and welcome to the sound of faith shall not thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God's revelation John seventh letter from Jesus was to the church of Laodicea. Jesus indicted that I would that you were either cold or hot because you are neither cold nor hot.

But Luke warm. I will spew you out of my mouth.

Did he mean it's better to be cold, backslidden or hot on fire for God, then to be mediocre or a hypocrite. Find out in today's message cold hot or lukewarm.

Nothing he said you are not only wretched, miserable, blind, coordinate your totally here's the key you were totally in effective in helping those in need. That's the real indictment you are and that describes much of the church today. Oh yes, the church can post I'm rich.

We got some rich churches going. We have some mortgage charges no longer does the pastor, the apostle so-and-so say silver and gold have I none they can't say that anymore. Can you know they can say like Peter and John said silver and gold. Have we known the rich, but they also can't say such as I have give my own.

Did you rise up in the name of Jesus, and behold a man that's what Jesus was he saying it was a picture of the church that were late in helping the community and also because opportune place on a train route that brought people with people for Christ been able to bring the Holy Spirit.

He said you got home. But spiritually you are destitute and you have nothing to help those that are in need a man that you know this story will will still turn their turning Luke the 10th chapter will close with the story, one that you well know that Jesus told us Luke 10 verse 30 and Jesus answering said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead, and by chance there came down a certain priest that way. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side and likewise a Levite, when he was at the place when him and passed by on the other side but a certain Samaritan, as he gently came where he was and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought into an inn and took care of him and on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host and said unto him, take care of him and whatsoever thou spend his or when I come, I will repay the and Jesus asked which now these three thinkers that was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves and the man that he was talking to said he that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus on him. Now you go and do likewise.

Amen. So in this parable that Jesus gave. He said a man went from Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem is built up on seven hills. So whenever you left the house of God, you are always going to go down because the house of God was up so he went down to Jericho and the world from where he was to Jericho was a treacherous road very winding road with steep up on that side of the mountain in the cliff. But in addition to that it had a lot of places where thieves and robbers could hide undetected and then spring on somebody surprised them because they would be hiding up in these little places where you didn't see them until they sprung out what you and that's what happened to this man. These robbers attacked 10 stole everything but they left him for you knowingly got people today they don't just say give me your money or your life.

They said give me your money and your life.

Amen.

So that's what happened to this man. He's lying there have what was going through his what you think he was thinking well I ever my wife again will ever see my children again. Amen. Am I going to die right here because he felt his life leaving him when you're half dead. Amen. Unless someone helps you. You're gonna die. I'm sorry that you pray. I think being a Jew.

He went to pray they want to praying God please have mercy on me, send somebody to help me pray. Wow he could not got a better answer to his prayer. I'm needing going to got a better answer because the debate faster when because these appraised. He's been hanging down like this is Oscar garment and he would've said I'm about to get rescued here, the man of God. This is why this is the place for the paintball between one with the failings of the infirmities and the weaknesses of the people. Shortly head is smiling down on me right now.

Amen. But his hopes of being rescued were quickly dissolved, because the feet of the priest didn't even stop just passed on. The other way just went the other way completely did that man clad well if he did didn't do them any good because the priest was too busy serving God to serve people go important people to say appointments on his agenda.

He had to keep and he didn't have time for this interruption. So he just then even stop in Going now.

I can imagine that getting all excited about think he was getting ready to be rescued when it all fell apart.

That would've just drained him even more. Whatever strength he might've had, and I'm sure that his spirit was crushed by rejection.

Rejection will crush a person you know you can get the well-liked tough things in your life. You can go through hard hard issues, but when someone rejects you just knock you down and you lose yours when you lose your your home and you lose your fight because you feel so rejected and that's how this man had to feel. Amen. He had been attacked and lobbed by bad guys and double row to Jericho.

But a priest was guys who was supposed to help those that were broken and bruised, amen, that Satan had attacked but he too left that man to die by-and-by he heard it again.

This sounds of someone approaching someone was coming.

Amen. And perhaps he let his heart began to be lifted up once more and hope especially as the closer because the time the feet came right to, and looked down at it see the priest just going online. I didn't even bother at this time the man came right up next to him and looked down at him and he and the garments in the closing of a Levite. Oh happy day. I'm still going to get rescued because this is a Levite. This is the servant of the Lord. These are the anointed ones of God the chosen ones out of all the 12 tribes of Israel.

These are the chosen ones that stand before God and these are the ones that lead worship shortly. The servant of the Lord will have compassion on me and rescue me and when that name came right up next to him and was looking down at him.

He thought, here we go. He's going to help me, but he was shocked because the Levite just looked down at him and turned around and passed by on the other side. Amen. Now this man was hopeless.

The preacher didn't help them acquire members and singers didn't help him. Amen there too busy to got to get it to the rehearsal I got rehearsal with the organist and in the other singer and and the group and we learn this new material is we're going to sing somewhere. We got get there. I got time for this. Oh, I'm stepped on somebody's toes. Amen. But this story has a happy ending. Happy ending, because Jesus said came the last person he would expected a Samaritan and you know anything about the dealings of Jews and Samaritans they were enemies.

They hated one another and they despised one another. They had absolutely no dealings with the other and there's a big story behind that I will go into basically the Jews felt like the Samaritans had corrupted the Scriptures and so, in their defense of the Scriptures. They despised the Samaritans and that's the gist of it though there's more to it, but point being a Samaritan would not help a Jew and a Jew would not help a Samaritan but this man had compassion.

He bound up his wounds, he poured in the oil. He poured in the wind. Amen any point on his dusty treacherous pathway and pulled pleased with that man on there and he told them to God. And so you can recoup any talk minister to and then he had to go because he did had business to take care of but he waited until he knew that man was safe. Anyway, we knew he was leaving in good hands any pain for keep any pain meds that they would let the man stay there until he was fully recovered. This man did something that the religious Levites failed to do. He had compassion. Amen. And that's what Jesus is basically saying to the Laodiceans and you see people that are in great need. And yet you have no compassion on Jesus the spirit of the Lord is upon anointed me to trust number open the eyes of the blind.

Amen. You know we had we seen Dennis, a symbol of different churches throughout the age, but we can even go back in the time of Israel in the time of Isaiah. One of the most powerful zinger prophecies that Isaiah spoke to them was Isaiah 58 and he accused them of all their religious things that they did including going to great lengths to faster they could look wise and holy and religious but he said what the fastest that I've chosen cannot tell you what to undo the heavy burden is to let the oppressed go free to break every now there's a time for that to be done literally like we do in the pantry downstairs like we did to help people that we have done that to and you might get the ministries that that is what their goal is.

I like to get to ministries that do that that go to other nations when they have catastrophes in India and Africa on such and they come in and they help them ministries like Samaritans purse and ministries like operation Blessing. Amen. And so that is what a physical basis because if you can't meet the physical needs of people that want to hear about your gospel. If there starving hungry naked and dying of sickness you have to take care of those needs and give them the gospel to the gospel.

Amen. But you see we have to look at the spiritual element because that's what the Lord is saying to him because a lot of you. I hope a lot of you are getting ready to go on straightening ministry.

Amen. Jesus said to his right that my house might be filled and you want to come against people that are spiritually almost destroyed by Satan. She has come back to stay and to pay and to destroy the faith that something that made on the road. Jericho and beat them up and let them have dead Satan personified.

Amen and we look at in the spirit we know that it's true. Satan is come to steal and kill and to destroy and kill text in your natural life kill text in physical death. So why do we need destroy to because if you're killed, what else is there.

There's more.

There's a second death to destroy talks about eternal damnation in hell. We gotta reach those people. Do you know I heard on the news this week that people are leaving the city of Baltimore there was a trend where people were moving into Baltimore now they're moving out of Baltimore, lots of them are leaving why because they're afraid they're afraid of the violence afraid of the drugs they're afraid of all of these things. Amen. Satan is come to destroy men's lives and this is why that happened not only give them food in the pantry and clothing and help with the physical need, but we've got to be to break the cycle to bring them out to deliver. Yeah, I know a lot of jailhouse religion is its fleeting, but there's always that one. There's always that one. We have a brother in this church just came to me last week and he said sister Sharon. I was there in prison for 44 1/2 years and during those years your dad brother Hardy and Faith Tabernacle in the magazine minister to me all those years. That's a long time. People I goes way back to William Street and when he got out he came straight here to this church. Amen.

And now that is all history behind him.

God didn't get them out sooner.

He could not come out sooner but God left them inherent during that time he got stronger and stronger got the word of God in him. Amen. And you know somebody was in prison and all went to hear. There's a reason God sometimes leaves people in prison because he wants to educate them to school then you will make them talk through that we already schooled in the school of the Holy Ghost and will be ready to go out there. Amen.

So God is saying to us being lukewarm seemed 19 bring people in here that are possessed by the devil posting and myself by any means on the ocean and the Holy Ghost. There was a time in my young ministry when I used to pray Lord please don't ever let any demon possessed people, Wednesday night until the truth is to pray that the Lord let him come on Friday and Sunday. My brother Hardy is here, on a Wednesday night, but one day it happened in this demon possessed woman pain and she was manifesting. And you know what you got the Holy Ghost and you know he's not your back. Amen. They brought that woman appear to big guys were trying to hold on to her. She was fighting trying to cloth them and get loose and on the tongue that went got him come out strong and had all they could do to hold that woman. She was trying to get loose if she got lives she was coming for me but we found her in the name of Jesus. Now I don't believe that she got totally dispossessed because she really didn't want to be free.

How many met people like that you know the plane around the plane again and she didn't really want to be free, but I tell you what we brought her under. She came under she walked away from the product as she walked away. If you want to be set free shipping set free, but she walked away anytime something we've got to be ready because there are a lot of churches. The majority of churches.

I will just tell you the majority of churches think that this religious program and it sounds great, but where's the power where's the anointing if you got somebody who is really full of the devil where you going to take what you want to take somebody that's really full of think about that and never Tabernacle that you can't bring him here because the whatever you do for the Lord with all your mind so spirited might. That's what he said amen. Especially now when we see the condition of those the big mega churches there really are social gatherings. Amen. But no matter what the size of this churches were going to be real and were going to be on fire. Are we can say join hands with someone next to father. We are joining together in one minute one quarter were making a commitment before you now Lord as we are on the threshold of the season of street meetings and block parties and Lord we want to be on fire for you. We want to obey the call of the Lord to go out in the highways and content to come to your house because it we can get to your house when anointing and your spirit and you will do the work that you do, Lord, for your vessels whom you have chosen. Father I pray that you just give us the burden of vision, because without a vision, you said we will perish and direct us to the people you want us to go to not be shy or hesitant to come out of the house of God Bible class Wednesday night will bring up Friday night bring that man will be my being that had been open and that the spirit of God may come down just annoying us afresh in a new I pray in Jesus we got things going on in our lives.

It's not right with you and that's all about you. Jesus sees the ministering there God that the anointing were praying when they come up against the new are there with. We attention friends of sound the faith. September is radio month and we want to send you a free gift. It could be a CD or a book and it's coming to you free if you write in with the call letters of this radio station written on the bottom left corner of your envelope. This will help us determine where a program is blessing people like you write to sound the faith PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203 don't forget those call letters on the front of the envelope