7 Churches: Laodicea, the lukewarm assembly; the inspector and His findings

Now we are going to read just briefly one of Paul's great prison prayers and if young Christians haven't yet Looked at these and appreciated them. It will change the way you pray in a prayer meeting The prayers that are found in Ephesians and in Colossians and in Philippians When Paul prays for the Saints are tremendous lessons for us in prayer life So look at verse number nine for this cause we also Since the day we heard it that is when he heard of the conversion and likely the planning of the assembly Do not cease to pray for you and desire that she might be filled with the knowledge of his will In all wisdom and spiritual understanding that she might walk worthy of the Lord unto all-pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in or unto the knowledge of God Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness now chapter 4 and this will hopefully make clear why we have read this look down the chapter at verse number 16 and When this epistle that is he the letter he has just written to the Colossian assembly when this epistle is read among you cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans and that she likewise read the epistle from Laodicea now that is not an epistle. We have apparently not inspired not part of the Word of God, but what I want to draw your attention to is just that expression cause that this epistle be read in the church of the Laodiceans chapter 3 now again of the book of the Revelation and the letter to the church at Laodicea verse number 14 unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans or the church in Laodicea write these things saith the Amen The faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God.

I know thy works Thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot so then because thou art neither lukewarm Rather so then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will or I am about to spew thee out of my mouth Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not That thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in a fire that thou mayest be rich and White raiment that thou mayest be clothed that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear Anoint thine eyes what I said that thou mayest see as many as I love I rebuke and chasten Be zealous therefore and repent behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me To him that overcometh while I grant to sit with me in my throne Even as I also overcame and am set down with my father in his throne He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches God will bless the reading of his word. I am sure In many ways.

It's kind of a downer to end with Laodicea kind of a negative dark discouraging depressing situation and yet that is where the Spirit of God has ended these letters and so We will not gainsay his wisdom and the order in which they are placed And I think there is a reason for it as we will see and as we will discover as we consider it together But I want you to think for a minute of the place Laodicea It was a little south and I think east of Philadelphia not that far Maybe 30 or 35 miles south of the city of Philadelphia close geographically, but a tremendous distance spiritually from the church in Philadelphia It was a city similar to Philadelphia that was built with the purpose of being a missionary city for the furthering of Greek culture in Asia, but something happens it turned from Greek culture and from Hellenism It turned to materialism. It was a city that became known for its wealth for its wool For its water and I wish you could find a W for this for its ISAF. So I have to just say the ISAF can't get a W for it But nevertheless, that's what happened here the the purpose of the city its whole thrust in being its reason for being had been diverted from an Outward look towards others and the need of others to what can we get for ourselves? What can we get for ourselves? and so it moved from a missionary zeal with Hellenism to a miserly zeal for materialism How in the world did we get from Ephesus? to Laodicea How did how did that? downward spiral Get this far We'll see that as we look together at it What I see as well as I look at the letter to the church at Laodicea I learned something of the value of preventative ministry That's a help to me because many times when those who handle the Word of God move amongst assemblies there is a burden that we would have something which will be a help to current need and so often we have no idea of current need and We have a burden on our hearts and we come with that burden and it seems like it doesn't meet a need But there is such a thing as preventative ministry and that's what Paul was doing in the letter to the church at Colossae Was giving ministry that if Laodicea had heated it and we'll look at that in a moment We will see how in much of Paul's prayer Were the seeds for the preservation of the problems at Laodicea now, I know it was 30 years earlier It was 30 years earlier that that letter was written and sent to Colossae and then sent on to Laodicea to be read But had the church at Laodicea Taken to heart the ministry of Paul in the letter to Colossae They would have been preserved and so when brethren rise to speak We have a tendency to turn a switch which goes to off if it's not something we find relevant to our Current needs in our current situation and some burden we have ourselves But God is frequently giving preventative ministry ministry because he knows a trial is coming That's part of the work of our great high priest to prepare us for trials He prepares individuals ever happened in your life that as you're reading you've gotten a verse You've gotten something that you've enjoyed and it's not long after not long after before the very thing comes that you needed that Enjoyment that verse for to be able to parry the problem or parry the temptation God was preventing something with his word and so here God gave preventative ministry preemptive ministry to the church at Laodicea, but unfortunately they had failed and had Not heeded the ministry and not moved in the good of it So look then if you will at how the Lord Jesus is presented to this church again, he is presenting himself in a way that will meet the need of that assembly and Will enable restoration to occur first of all We are reminded that these things saith thee.

Amen The faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God or the beginner of the creation of God Might be a better translation. So the first thing is he is the amen. That's a divine title, isn't it? The amen if you went back to the Old Testament to the book of Isaiah It is a title that God uses of himself back in Isaiah 65.

Let's say it the amen Now, what does that mean? Why does he present himself to this assembly as the amen? Why do you say amen When you pray, why is it that when a brother rises to pray others at the end say amen Among the many other meanings of the word. Amen. So be it or it will be So that when God calls himself the amen He's not closing a prayer.

What he is saying is it will be it will be So why then does the Lord Jesus present himself to this assembly as the one who says it will be I Think it's for this reason the sad Sobering tragic history of mankind has been That every time God has committed something to the hands of men It ends in failure Now we call those dispensations Beginning with no rather beginning with Adam just one rule put in his hand and he failed moving to Noah and he failed Moving to the patriarchs and they failed moving to Israel and they failed moving to the church How does it end? How does Leah to see an end? failure failure and in a coming day For a thousand years the Lord Jesus will reign over the earth He won't fail but men on trial men without poverty without sickness without disease without death without the devil without poverty without crime Men will fail despite all of that at the end They'll rise up in rebellion with all the things they now use to excuse their sin all of that banished They'll still show themselves rebels against God Everything committed to the hand of men fails. Well, does that mean that God's purposes will fail? No, he's the amen God's purposes will be accomplished. You see you and I have a privilege It may come as a surprise to you that God doesn't need us God does not need us God can carry on his program.

God can bring in his son. God will glorify his son With or without us You and I have a privilege We have a tremendous privilege God will see to it that his purposes come to pass But he wants to use you and me wants to use the assembly you're with and the assembly I am with but God is the amen Things will be accomplished. God will accomplish his purposes Despite the failure of men.

So he is the amen. He is the faithful and true witness Here was an assembly that was failing in its witness an assembly that wasn't being true to the Word of God and the Lord Jesus presents himself as the one who was The faithful and the true witness who had never compromised truth for God had never set aside anything of the Word of God Even upon a cross that the Word of God might be fulfilled said I thirst Every word of God given to him to carry out He completed perfectly all the will of God committed to his hand he obeyed Despite tremendous price the faithful and the true witness the one who gave accurate complete Representation of all that God is now He says to the assembly at lay to see it was the same privilege and yet you have not been faithful and true witnesses but then he introduces himself here and as the the beginning or the beginner of The creation of God now I have struggled with what this means in the context of this letter and I am open for Help and suggestion from my brethren but I have wondered if here is a church which needs a new beginning a Church which needs a new beginning a fresh start Might not be the meaning Might carry with it rather the thought that everything was for his glory and the assembly should be for his glory but just let me apply it then if I can an Assembly that needed a fresh beginning a fresh start with God You know what I find thrilling and I find encouraging to my own soul is That with God there is always the opportunity for fresh beginnings There are never write-offs There are never write-offs with God We write cars off We write losses off And sadly we write people off sometime But with God there are no write-offs There is always the opportunity for a fresh beginning with God wherever a person finds themselves wherever an assembly finds itself Where there is a desire to be right with God and to be useful for God and to enjoy fellowship with God There's always a fresh beginning. There's always the opportunity for a new beginning with God.

Thank God We could trace it in Scripture couldn't we and we could see it with some like Jacob We could see it was some like Jonah the word of the Lord came unto him the second time We could see it with a Peter couldn't we? When he speaks to Peter in John 21 by the river there rather by the sea and gives him that fresh Commission a new start for Peter and I think if we're honest we could see it with you and with me That God has given us fresh beginnings When others would have perhaps written us off God a God of fresh beginnings. So the presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ is is so perfectly fitted for the need of this assembly to be reminded of one who was faithful and true in his witness to one who would accomplish divine purposes and For whom it is an honor to bear testimony today and the one who can bring about restoration and recovery however far we have drifted and however difficult our our circumstances the presentation, but then We need to look At the piercing perception of Christ as he looks upon the assembly You'll notice their condition. You'll notice their conceit and you'll notice their crisis.

What was their Condition they were neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm Now it may sound strange When the Lord says I would that you were hot or cold and not lukewarm and Some have had a difficulty with what what exactly that means? Well, let me back up first of all by reminding you that maybe it's not a remark. Maybe for some it's something new Lay to see it was known for its lukewarm nauseating water and Not far away in Colossi there was cold pure water. And if you went the other way to a city called Hierapolis, there were the hot springs But lay to see I had water that was neither cold nor hot.

It was kind of tepid and The word the Lord Jesus uses later. I am about to spew the out is actually the idea of being nauseated by this lukewarm water So what does the Lord Jesus mean? I would you were cold or hot well We can understand I would you were hot on fire and zealous and and living for God, but why cold? He would rather they Were worse than they were. I think what is in view is this let me give you an example personally if I can from personal experience you ever see a person come to gospel meetings and They come and they show an interest and they profess to get saved And that's it They go nowhere and they don't talk about the scriptures and if you ask me, oh, yeah, I'm saved and They never seem to get anywhere You'd almost wish they said they weren't saved.

So you knew what to do with them They say they're saved and the Word of God seems to have no effect on them And you know, they're just kind of an in-between no man's land either show signs of life or say you're not saved You know be one or the other. I think that's what that's what the Lord is saying here I would either that you are on fire or that you weren't saved So that my word would have some some power with you if you were unsaved You could be saved and start afresh and have real life and if you were on fire, that would be wonderful But this this in-between this this living for both worlds professing to be in one world and living in another world Says it's just lukewarmness Nauseates me I'm not saying I would almost be Fearful of saying those words if the Lord didn't say it. They're his words not mine I would never want to tell a Christian or anyone else that their life nauseates me I thought that's not my business should never do that But if the Lord who was pointing to people here to believers to an assembly and saying that assembly actually nauseates me I mean we could hardly think of words stronger We could hardly think of words that are more cutting especially when we look at their conceit Their condition their conceit It was a wealthy city It was a city that was self-made.

It was a city that had earned its own wealth and developed its own wealth and The mentality of the city had gotten into the believers in the assembly You will notice then the influence of the world on the church they had become just like the world around them That's what happened at Corinth as well. That's what happens most most of the time when we as assemblies begin to drift we begin to adopt the thinking that is out in the world and live by that standard in the assembly and so Paul says in first Corinthians chapter 3 when their strife and divisions and Quarreling amongst them. He said are ye not carnal and walk according to the standard of men? That's the way the world walks.

That's the way the world acts. That's their value system What value system do you and I have in God's assembly? Are we walking by a value system that? North America walks by or by values we have derived from the Word of God So there was the tremendous influence of the world on on the church, but as well there was a tremendous indifference That was part of their their conceit. There was an indifference to others There was a self-absorption with me mine and ours All the result of of materialism that had gripped them and had caused them to turn from their original purpose They did not seem to have an interest in others Didn't seem to have an interest in outreach didn't seem to have a concern for the gospel and for open doors They just seemed to be content Absolutely content with themselves We are rich Increased with goods.

We don't need anything We're fine. Just the way we are Now I would find that hard to believe Except every once in a while that voice creeps into my own soul What was the last time that you actually got on your knees and prayed? That God would increase God would increase Your capacity to know the Lord Jesus That God would increase your capacity to know the Word of God that God would unfold to you fresh things What was the last time See there's a danger in all of us to be content To feel as though we're rich. We're increased with goods and have need of nothing and to just settle down Someone else has said so I'm quoting.

This is not from me. Someone else has said here was a church that offended. No one They didn't knock on doors offending the neighbors They didn't hold gospel meetings to offend the neighborhood They didn't send out seed sowers and rankles people They didn't hold to the Word of God and offend those who would come and wonder Why they can't be part of this church and break bread and all the rest.

They offended. No one except Christ Here's an assembly that offended. No one but Christ.

He was nauseated by the assembly their Independence We need nothing we are rich Actually, the idea is we have made ourselves rich is the idea of that expression We are we have made ourselves rich and increased with goods and we have need of nothing But of course the Lord Jesus adds then one other thing about your condition one of the thing about your conceit In your conceit, you're absolutely ignorant Knowest not you don't know You're totally ignorant of this truth That's as he says to them here. They'll know us not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and Naked knowest not Now I need to say with care there is a danger from self-examination When self-examination descends spirals down to self-occupation and all we think about are our failures and our faults and our shortcomings that's That's a disaster But likewise the other extreme is maybe dangerous as well where we Blissfully never take account in the presence of God of of our condition Here were people who were ignorant of their own condition never stopped to examine themselves in the presence of God We are reminded aren't we? Of a man named Samson Samson one day went down to Delilah the harlot Finally after much persuasion and much in the way of pressure. He revealed to her the secret of his strength and you know the story she Cut the locks from his hair and as he was asleep on her lap and the Philistines came and she shouts the Philistines be upon thee and it says Samuel sorry Samson roused himself and Went out as before But he wist not he was ignorant of this the Lord had departed from him You come centuries later to a commentary that a prophet by the name of Hosea writes And he writes about Ephraim and he says concerning Ephraim that gray hairs He's aging.

He's no longer in enjoying the freshness of youth gray hairs are here and there upon him and he he knows it not he's ignorant a Man ignorant of his of the loss of power a nation ignorant of the loss of fresh of a freshness an assembly ignorant of Its loss of pleasure that I was bringing to God Totally ignorant. What what a tragic situation Spiritual ignorance can be our greatest danger because it leads to complacency and self-satisfaction and It brought these Christians this assembly here it brought them to a crisis I Am about to spew the out now. It doesn't tell us exactly What is involved in that? It could be something.

I think this is probably the most tragic It could be something they would not even know It could just be that he would no longer Recognize them as an assembly could be that I don't know Others have suggested that it would be that at his coming he would display that they were really false. We're not sure but whatever it is however, it is to be understood and interpreted it is a scathing indictment of an assembly that He's just nauseated by them the crisis this assembly faced They were about to be spewed out of his mouth So there was the need then for Action there was the need then for recovery the need then for repentance that could not be delayed and so you will get something that of the of the crisis atmosphere of how urgent this is for the assembly of how Vital it is that they move in light of his word. And so he says to them in verse number 18 I counsel thee So let me talk to you then about the the way the Lord presents himself the character of the Lord here to this assembly he comes as a judge first of all doesn't he and then we'll see him coming as an accountant as a Physician as an inspector as an investor.

So let me just quickly highlight these for you He comes first of all as a judge and he says I've looked at you and really you're wretched. That's my assessment My assessment is not that you're rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. My assessment is that you are wretched and pitiful They probably Now it doesn't say it, but I would not be surprised If you like some of our modern newscasters if we could have hopped around to all seven assemblies and Just had an interview with the oversight of all the seven assemblies.

I would Doubt very little that lady to see it would have said We are in the best condition of all seven assemblies We are in better condition in Philadelphia than Smyrna than Ephesus than Pergamos than Thyatira than Sardis. We are in good shape here. We're a good assembly He comes as the assessor of the assembly as the judge and he says I am going to reverse the verdict That you've given yourselves You're wretched things are in desperate condition in your assembly so he comes as the assessor as the judge he comes as the accountant and He begins to sum up the value of the assembly sums it up And he says you're beggars You are absolutely destitute your bank account is is zero.

Oh, they may have had big bank accounts no doubt that the Materialism of the day had filled their coffers and they were getting big bank accounts But Spiritual bank accounts were empty The assembly had nothing to draw upon of spiritual wealth to give any to give to others They had no value He comes as the Accountant he comes as the physician and he says you lack vision You don't see yourselves and you don't see need all around you. You're absolutely blind You you're lacking in vision He comes then doesn't he in this sense as the physician and he examines their blindness and says no, it's not that thou art wretched and pitiful and blind It's interesting again, it's it's a commentary upon human nature the last judge Samson blind The last king of Judah Zedekiah blind the last church Laodicea blind see everything committed to men ends with a loss of vision of self and of need the end result of self-occupation of Just thinking about myself The end result is blindness. I lose vision of self and lose vision out there as well Here was a church that was blind he comes as the inspector and he looks in the wardrobe Naked nothing in the wardrobe Nothing to put on Nothing that would give you a sense of beauty before me or before the or before others Wardrobe is bare empty Naked And Then he comes to them as an investment counselor and he says I counsel thee to buy How did Laodicea get here We have not read of wrong doctrine We have not read of false teachers We have not read of a Balaam without or a Jezebel within We have not read even of A Satan who was opposing the assembly.

I think that's That's telling isn't it? There's no false teaching There's no doctrinal error pointed to there's no false prophets. No balance. No Jezebel's Where's the problem What happened I Thought we would need some false teaching to corrupt the assembly.

I Thought we would need False prophets rising up. I would think at least we would need Satan roaring against the assembly as a roaring lion But he's not there not mentioned. How did all this happen? Well, you can come to your own conclusion But I would gather that it was the inroads of materialism.

It was a contented satisfied lifestyle That made them quite content to settle down Materialism hits every one of us It's not how much we have. It's how much we want to have God has given some great wealth great possessions And I know brethren that have it and use it for God Their cars their homes their bank accounts at the disposal of God and his work. I Know others that don't have very much and yet materialism consumes them.

They want more Now I'm not excusing one and pointing at the other that's I'm just saying it's not what you have if God has given it to you It's how much you want that really is in view here Materialism seemed to be the the key that brought these people to a standstill spiritually. I think our brother Ward would probably second what I am saying and I Think it just shows what materialism has done to the average North American person It used to be even when I was a boy 50 years ago growing up that Preachers would preach about heaven and hell and strangers would realize Heaven or hell and make have to make a decision. Not everyone got saved You know, not everyone got saved but they realized that's the choice But today people have a third option I'll just take earth.

Thank you I'll just take earth with all my toys and all my joys and all my pleasures You know, you can have heaven then or you know, if you believe in a hell, that's fine I'm just quite content with earth and I've got my boat and my summer cottage and I've got my home and my three cars and I've got my IRA and my bank account nothing wrong with any of those things, but when we begin to feel as though We are settling down and we have it made and we have everything we need and we're quite content here Than the danger of lay to see it comes in no wrong doctrine No evil practices not even the immorality that was present in the church of Thyatira. None of that is brought in here It's just a condition of being satisfied with what I've got here upon earth I Forgotten heaven at the end. I've forgotten souls out there I've forgotten testimony for God and we're just playing church just going through the motions playing church Because we're contented to settle down and to live With all that we have materially and all that has been given to us now.

I I appreciate God has given us richly all things to enjoy and if God has placed into your hand legitimately Without sacrificing the assembly without sacrificing divine truth without sacrificing Your family if he has placed into your hand material wealth, thank God for it and use it for him but if what you have has come at the expense of not just being wholehearted with the assembly and maybe cutting a few corners when it comes to the Word of God and Maybe sacrificing something of divine truth Then to that measure you and I are not in Philadelphia, but in Laodicea the character of the Lord, but look at the counsel of the Lord I counsel thee to buy now, it's interesting that well Restoration is all of grace While restoration like salvation is all of grace There appears to be a price Because he says by it's gonna cost something gonna cost you something Don't know what it may cost you. I know what could what it could cost me at times But it may cost something it will cost something and so he says I counsel thee to buy Not going to be an easy road back Not going to be just I wake up one day and all of a sudden everything's right Personally family assembly. No, it's gonna cost something When Jacob found himself away from God when Jacob found himself and his name had become dishonored among the heathen because of his sons and their butchery of the men of the city the sons of Heth was it When the Word of God came arise go up to Bethel to the and to the God that appeared to you there You know what it cost Jacob he said I've got to bury certain things Certain things had to be buried Certain things had to be banished.

Let's do away with all the idols. Let's get rid of them Certain things had to be built an altar had to be built It was a hard road back Had to bury certain things Had to banish certain things Had to build certain things Individually collectively the road back may mean burying some things May mean banishing some things from your life It may mean building some things for God the road back. I counsel thee to buy of me So it would mean repentance.

It would mean self humbling. It would mean confession. I How much the Lord wanted this assembly restored because he uses words he uses terms they can understand It's not that he comes down to their level But he uses words they can understand he says you who have been so interested in gold I counsel you to buy of me gold and you who have been so Occupied in the wool industry making garments and getting rich by it by of me Garments and the eyes have that is so famous in your city for healing eye disorders He says I have an eye salve for you to cure your blindness.

So he's using imagery That they can understand It's the same way. Isn't it that? When he deals with Peter at the at the seaside, I know Peter was a fisherman, but it's in the context there of the fish and That the whole of fish and now he takes his attention from fish to sheep He's using language that you and I can understand. He doesn't make it difficult He doesn't make it obtuse that somehow we need to get out our dictionaries and get out Something special to learn about the path of restoration.

He speaks in language. We understand And so he says I counsel you to buy of me gold It's interesting just to look at in the New Testament the place gold has you remember that Matthew to they were told to bring gold when you come to first Corinthians chapter 3 is it build gold when you come to Second Timothy chapter 2 and those vessels then he says be gold be a golden vessel Now he says here in Revelation Buy gold. What are we getting it? There are something of value for God that will never tarnish Something of value for God that has worth and value beyond what this world can possibly apprise it It is that which brings honor and glory to God now what the gold is Divine truth if that's what it is, but whatever it is that is being linked with here He is giving them a picture of what they can understand.

I want you to go in for what really is a value to me now We should each examine ourselves The thrust of my life I I sit where you sit We all without exception we have bills to pay We have responsibilities to fulfill We have people to care for We all have that and there's no denying it and there's no getting around it. We have it whoever we are So I am NOT for a moment ignorant of that but I guess the issue is where is the Where's the thrust of your life? Where's the thrust of your life? Where's the priority of your life? Which gold is it you're going in for? Which gold is it? That is your goal You remember back there in Exodus 32 is it The People said to Aaron up make us God's that'll go before us as for this Moses. You don't know what's happened to him So Aaron said break off the earrings that are in your ears and they brought to Aaron their gold and he melted the gold down And of course, you know, he formed the graven image the people worshiped That was tragic enough That they worshipped at the golden image, but you know was even more tragic It's only a few days later that Moses says We're gonna build something for God Bring your gold Bring your gold Everyone who had given their gold to worship the golden idol had no gold to bring for God's building.

They got a choice You can worship at the world's golden idol and have nothing to bring to build gold in God's house or You can save your gold for God and go in for that which is of value for him I Counsel thee to buy of me gold and then he says as well not only the gold but he says gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and The shame of thy nakedness do not appear and of course the eyesalve to anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see now Time doesn't permit to look at all of these, you know in great detail But you will understand that when he's speaking of the garments its personal I would take it to be personal practical righteousness lives Which are marked by righteous living and that the eyesalve was that which would give them vision for God There's a verse in Proverbs and I hate to say it's not what the verse means but it's not what the verse means but it says nevertheless where there is no vision that people perish and so while that vision has to do with visions that God gives of divine truth yet, I think there's the Application like this where there is no vision Assemblies dwindle where there is no vision the unsaved aren't reached God has to give us vision God is looking for men and women with vision of what could be of what could be Reminds me of what Robert Kennedy said years ago before he was assassinated. Robert Kennedy said men look at things and say why? Says I look at things and say why not? Why not think of what could be think of what could happen. Do you ever think of that person you work with? Do you ever think of that relative of yours and ever just sit back and think what it will be like To sit next to them at the breaking of bread Do you ever let that just kind of fill your vision ever think of a little community and think about Wonder if we could have a children's work there Wonder if we could do seed sowers there wonder if we could you know some vision He was a church that needed vision about themselves and about the world around them And he says I counsel thee to buy of me I said that thou mayest see and then he says really what motivates all this is my love for you as many as I love I Chasten and he says be be zealous therefore and repent lest he says excuse me as Many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent but I want you to look at the Proposal and the patience of the Lord Jesus Look at the position that he assumes Behold, I stand at the door and knock now we use this in the gospel and it has its application But you'll realize he's speaking out to believers in an assembly He as a wise merchant man as a wise investor has spread his wares in the marketplace Here's gold You'd have to be in an eastern country to appreciate the the open markets and As a as a market as a merchant.

He has spread his wares in the market for the assembly to buy. Here's gold. Here's That which is white raiment.

Here's eyesight for you Presented it all for you for your purchase But now instead of being the merchant in the merchant square He becomes a door-to-door salesman He goes individually to doors Okay, the assembly isn't responding I Am I am so anxious for recovery. I am so anxious for fellowship. I'm going to go to individual doors Behold, I stand at the door and knock So now this is individual he is coming to individuals with a view to seeking one by one to see the assembly Touched and restored and he is he takes up a position At the door now of each individual, but you notice not only the position he has but the the patience he displays I have taken up my stand and continue to stand Patiently waiting patiently imploring looking for fellowship and The provision he assures any man opens I will come in And I will sup with him but more than that.

He will sup with me The guest becomes the host. That's the way it always is. That's the way it became wasn't it at that lovely scene in Luke 24? When they said abide with us, it's even tied and he went in with them to sup with them and as he took bread As he broke it Whenever you bring him into your life He becomes the host not the guest.

Yeah, he he wants to be a guest. He won't force his way in But the moment he be is invited in as a guest he becomes the host he provides all he provides everything Behold, I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and Open the door. I will come in with him and sup with him and he with me to him that overcometh The promise of the Lord Jesus to this church I will grant to sit with me in my throne even as I overcame and sat down with my father in his throne He presents himself to the overcomer as the ultimate overcomer The ultimate overcomer to a church that perhaps needed the most grace to overcome The place he promises is by his side in a coming kingdom My time is gone.

Let me just remind you of what the Colossian letter said The preventative ministry that was given to this church through the Colossian Church rather through the cut the Colossian epistle Is given to us here in chapter in Colossians 1 and verse 9 and he makes very very clear here What would have preserved them what would have kept them that the eyes of their? That their knowledge might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding They had strayed from that occupied with the world walking in wisdom Worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing they ended up being nauseating not pleasing Being filled with Fruitfulness unto every good work. They were naked with not no practical righteousness. You can go down the list.

The ministry was given and He closes as he does every letter with these same words He that had ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto Laodicea no Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches that would include that the assembly Where I bear responsibility It includes the assembly where you bear responsibility So the message of the church at Laodicea is for the church at Waukesha The church at Mount Sterling the church at New Lenox the church in Marion the church Everywhere wherever there are local companies. This message is for the church. May the Lord help us Not just challenge us but comfort us as well by the rich Sufficiency found in our Lord Jesus to carry on to bear testimony for him in the day of his rejection.

Shall we pray? Father we bow before thee at the close of not just this meeting, but the meetings we have had together We have looked at searching and yet we have looked at encouraging messages that have come from a risen Lord to meet needs of individual local assemblies Perhaps this last one has been that which Identifies us the most of people who are content with material things and have settled down upon earth and have lost vision And have lost exercise. We confess it before thee it is first of all individual before it is collective but then it becomes an assembly problem as we meet together and as we Bring to the gatherings of my people this whole attitude and mentality. We confess it before thee Do we pray give us grace to know repentance and recovery and usefulness for thee in our day that as a result of faithfulness to thee Testimonies may not just be preserved but may be prospering and Bearing more fruit and bearing and giving more pleasure to thee We commit ourselves to thee again for the gospel tonight in the various places and especially here with the series in Waukesha We do look to thee that the good hand of God would be evident and that blessing will flow out to thy people and that souls Will be saved from the for the great eternity and from the awful judgment against sin We do pray to open blind eyes and open deaf ears and grant that souls tonight Will listen to the great message of the gospel and be saved we commit ourselves to thee some will be traveling give safety Grant thy hand upon each of us now in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen