Cold? Hot? or Lukewarm? Part 2

Great 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. So what does all this have to do with. I want you to be hot or I want you to be cold now I have shown you that they were a major city on a major trade route which brought all kinds of cultures and rich people in important people in the cause the city to prosper financially, culturally, the city was prospering. We saw that it was a banking center we saw that it was a fashion center we saw that it was a medical center.

What has all this got to do with being hot or cold.

Well, another thing that Laodicea boasted of was an architectural marvel. And that was that they had built an aqueduct in above ground aqueduct to bring drinking water into the city from nearby areas and cities how they understand when aqueduct is, you know, when we went on our holy land tours. We actually saw one up close in Caesarea and the ruins are still standing.

I would tell you what it kinda looks like to me just give you an idea if you ever go in Brooklyn and see the Hanover Street bridge. It's that old style architect that has those arches that hold up the bridge. Now think about that idea. But instead of it being a road on top that you would walk or drive one. Think of it as being a troll that water would flow through and you have a general idea of what an aqueduct look like, and so they had built this aqueduct and you know that meant that they had water coming straight into the city all the time. Water was just coming right into the city now. Really, it was an engineering marvel, and it was one single been a great idea that whatever name seem to be on the cutting edge of things, but there was a problem because it was above ground quite a bit above ground. It was always exposed to sunlight. So that meant. However, many hours a day. The sun was shining, it was beaming down on that aqueduct and that meant the waters were always lukewarm, always being warmed up by the sun and how many know there's nothing quite as distasteful as Luke warm water. Amen some I mean when you are really thirsty, you been working on the treadmill you been jogging you been lifting weights. I didn't hear very many a man's but I'm going that find another illustration so human walking and exerting yourself and sweating and you're becoming the hydrated body is screaming from and so you want to drink some I never jogging or running around on the different recreational playgrounds around the city. Remember as a kid growing up was what one Federal Hill and they had a water fountain. There, but sometimes he would go in turn that water fountain north and you'd spend because it was lukewarm. Amen.

Stay and you lukewarm. Amen. At home to get a drink of water and you turn on the faucet has been turned on and you and you stick and you take the and you spit it out because it lukewarm. We will call so we can make some tea with it. I'm doing you know when you need that bottled water in your car you left it in your car couple days and now your bike down the road you are so thirsty and you reach over for that bottled water that's been sitting there in that little component and you take a drink of that and it is disgusting. Amen misleading the sunlight will see. I remember down the campground, never went to Masters retreat campgrounds in Franklin. Okay, a lot of you.

Do you remember the water company. Remember the water down there. Yeah that would make you spewing out of your mouth in a hurry. Amen.

You may spew an IRA.

Amen.

One year I got dehydrated. I didn't realize I got dehydrated, but I did.

I just wouldn't drink that water was so steep I want to drink it so I didn't drink much water plus on wedding and perspiring all the time in ministry and in the pulpit and all and yet I wasn't replenishing it and when I got home from campgrounds. I got very sick though. I went to the doctor and so finally he says to me have you been drinking water and I said well recently. No, I haven't because I explained about weakness campground we went had nasty water and so I just didn't drink very much water in the previous weeks pieces will that's your problem. You need to drink some water. Amen. And so Jesus was showing them when he said I would rather that you be cold or hot. I don't want you to be lukewarm, because if you do I'm going to spew you know what is this got to do with being cold or hot. Well let me tell you about the city that was 11 miles east of Laodicea and that was the city of Colossae. There is not an epistle in the New Testament that Paul wrote to the Colossae and okay said there was a church there and the thing about Classe was very very cold water that came from subterranean sources and you know if you ever drink spring water that comes from deep within the ground. It is cold it is pure is chemical free is delicious. It is refreshing it is hydrating.

You just can't get enough of it.

Amen.

That's what Colossae was like that waters were so refreshing that when the traveler said you know what next go to the Holiday Inn at Classe tonight. Let's stay at the Holiday Inn at Classe because the best 711s that they can run in and get a big thing a soda pop machines and Coke machines that water treatment plants either to take bugs that put bleach in amen Colossae been thinking about her and thinking about the good, the this thing anyway because I need someone that I would think you would be called that. I want you to be out in the world thing you just did you do not let people in your life when you're just around them just feel uplifted you feel refreshed.

Amen.

Jesus. What I'm asking of you. You are boasting about all that you are your ranch you got you got. I want you to be refreshing for people that are weary because they been on a long journey of faith. It's been a long journey and now it's taking a toll on then and there, feeling weak and faint, and how many know that you can actually reach a point where if you don't have water you will faint going to, amen. There's a lot of situations with elderly people that could be fixed if they would just drink water 73% of our brains is water, 60% of your body is water so if you don't drink water you going to start having problems. Amen. And a lot of times it elderly people would drink more water. Seems like there's mentally slipping up, they start drinking water that they will start thinking clearer thinking better and converse better because the brain is getting hydrated so you need to think about that. Whether it's for yourself or select one of yours. It's important to drink water. How many say amen in a course water.

There's a lot of other things but here they had this aqueduct and he thought it made them see taxi city well it made him a lukewarm city and what they thought would draw travelers and visitors to come and stay at the Holiday Inn at Laodicea.

People thought I want to stay there.

They got some of the nastiest water I've ever had. Instead they wanted to go to Colossae and get the coal refreshing waters. And then there was another city 6 miles to the north, Herat Place, now there's not an epistle, Paul wrote to the church at Herat Place but there was a church there. He didn't found it but there was a church there. In fact, later, when the apostle Philip spent his latter years of the church at Herat Place.

What's so unique about Herat Place this city was founded on a natural thermal spa. What I mean by that is natural hot springs water that comes out of the earth, hot, consistently high all the time and it bubbles up. Amen and water. I tried the people who have arthritis and rheumatism and aches and pains and other ailments that that's when they want to go because they did in those wall and mineral water can it's rich in minerals as well. That will likely not feel so when revisited any kind of natural spring okay but you've all seen pictures of it right, you heard of hot Springs, Arkansas family member that there's places around the world. The rich people that can afford places there's some in Germany and other places in Europe and they go there because it is like a QR for then getting in those waters. Amen there is which I didn't know there's one called hot Springs, Virginia, and it's an outside pool. They built a structure to enclose this natural water coming up out of the earth.

It was built in 17 one. Think about that. That's older than the United States of America as far as being a nation. Amen. I found out that the water and there is consisted of 90° year round. Even in the winter winds. Knowing going get in that one pole and snow is coming down and I read that one of our presidents Thomas Jefferson used to go there because it helped his rheumatism. So those hot waters that bubble up you know when I first heard my back in the early 90s and I struggled for a very long time and my mobility was getting less and less, and so I was to the point where I was barely moving because every move I made. Put me in pain. So when you move it. It's painful, you say okay I will move like that anymore chemical move that way. But then to move this way is painful and then to do this is painful after a while everything is painful. You just and that's where I was and so I'm following the sound of the psychiatrist, not a psychiatrist. Okay office psychiatrist to say I never heard of the mother where what they are is it's a regular MD but they specialize in trying to help people that have pain because of spinal injuries and other things and I try to help him to avoid surgery. If there's any way that you can avoid surgery date take you through a lot protocols and for many people.

That's the answer and they don't need to have surgery so I went to see him and unfortunately I didn't find out about this type of thing until after I had surgery and so I was suffering so you know what he did. He told me to walk and he watched me and he was like ranches.

She can even move hardly. So he says this is what were going to do. I'm going to send you to water therapy and there in the water, you won't have all the gravity working against your muscles in your joints and you'll be able to move more and as you move more than the muscles will start working more and will just go from there. And that was the thing that really helped me because they kept that water like between 94 and 96° and getting that water. It helped me so much and before I knew it I was walking more and doing exercises and everything and I was getting looser and looser. But what happened is this my insurance only pay for 50 visits a year. And when you go three times a week you could hit 50 pretty quickly. I had my 50 visits and they said you can come back to next year so I didn't want to stop because it was really helping, so my mom's as well take you to the YMCA so we started going to the YMCA. Guess what, they kept their water in the low 80s upper 70s, low 80s.

That may sound warm to you telling you it's not anywhere warm as you say, I got in that water and my lips turned purple. I used to have to wear a nylon jacket in the water because I was so cold and it was a purple jacket and the people he still was a your lips are the same color as your jacket folks, I lost weight like this you know why the whole time I was in there was, I should get up I need to go back but here was the problem, instead of helping me. I started getting worse because all my muscles from the cold water were going her I needed hot water and they kept the call because they had a lap swimmers and they are that work you know trying out for different races and all.

And they have to have coal so I told you that to say this to you hot water that was coming out of the Springs especially had spas when they had electricity to warm up waters going to a nice pool like in Canada, LA or whatever the mother places you go to came out of the earth and 98° consistently and so people came from farming to get in these waters because they will find healing. They are bodies.

They had handling. Amen. So when Jesus G because so far I want you to be basically the people and made the call to be original analysis that goes with and that's what Jesus was talking about your posting nothing. He said you are not only wretched, miserable, blind, coordinate you totally. Here's the key you were totally in effective in helping those in need. That's the real indictment you are active and that describes much of the church today.

Oh yes, the church can boast. I'm rich. We got some rich churches don't wait.

We have some ranch charges no longer is the pastor, the apostle so-and-so say silver and gold have I none they can't say that anymore.

Can hey 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 get by on. Did you rise up in the name of Jesus and be whole.

Amen. That's what Jesus was saying he's saying it was a picture of the church that were currently active in helping the community around them and also because they were opportune place on a train route that brought people in Windows people for Christ been able to be on the brain and deliver them in they should of been able to power in the Holy Spirit and knowing that the he said you got home. But spiritually you are destitute and you have nothing to help those that are in need. Amen. You know the story, but will still turn their turning with the 10 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 to going 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 demanded 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 road 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 attack 10 stole everything but they left him for dead, you knowingly.people today they don't just say give me your money or your life. They say give me your money and your life. Amen. So that's what happened to this man. He's lying there, half dead was going through his what you think he was thinking. Will I ever did 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 would 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 steps and when he probably strained to look and see began to beat faster when because these all appraised. He's been hanging down like this is the Lasker found man's garment and he would. I'm about to get rescued. Here comes a man of God. This is why this is the place for the paintball would swing by one with the feelings of the infirmities and the weaknesses of the people.

Surely Headman is smiling down on me right now. Amen. But his hopes of being rescued were quickly dissolved because the feeling of the priest didn't even stop just passed on. The other way just went the other way completely did that man cry.

Well, if he did or didn't do them any good because the priest was too busy serving God to serve people go yet important people to say appointment on his agenda. He had time for this interruption. So then even stop Going attention.

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