Sins of Laodicea - Part 2

I'll make you happy. I'm going to try and get you all a free copy as a Christmas gift. Won't that make you happy? Maybe I'll mail it from myself so you'll think I sent it, but anyhow. I'll tell you what, you won't dare to get through it without brokenness. If you do, you're beyond help. Does he scorch the church? Does he scorch the pulpit? Yes, but he quotes all the time the scriptures and shows how far we've drifted from the holiness of God and the authority of God. It would cost a lot of us something to buy from God, wouldn't it? The scripture that says redeem the time actually is from the Greek, buy up the opportunities. Do you set off every day saying, Lord, I want a new opportunity to prove your grace today, improve your strength today, improve your wisdom today? I want to be so low that nobody can crush me. I'm going to get a rubber stamp made for my letters. Do you know what it will say on? I am a worm and no man. I don't have anything else with a worm. Because a worm is the only creature that can go in at one side of a mountain and come out at the other side. Tell me another creature that can do that. Read the 41st chapter of Isaiah, which is fantastic about the worm. The context is, fear not thou worm, Jacob, but God called him a prince. But you see, God never flatters us. He flattens us sometimes. He flattens me pretty often. Don't do that, you will carry, you're not in your head. We must be on the same wavelength. He rubs my nose in the dust sometimes. And he doesn't have to go down too far if you're a worm to get your nose rubbed in the dust. Isn't that good? Fear not thou worm, but Jacob was changed to have his name called Israel. A prince with God, but a nobody in the eyes of the world. Oh boy, how we want to be esteemed, how we want to be respected. How people should realize what precious gifts of the Spirit are given. Do you know why they don't? Because you stink with pride, that's why. Am I doing pretty good right now? Nobody uncomfortable, I can't be doing too good. I counsel thee, I'm giving you advice, buy of me gold fried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed. And the shame of thy nakedness. Isn't it amazing this church thought she was wearing the most gorgeous garments and God looked right through them and said, you're stark naked. You're trusting in your works, in your positions, in your possessions, in your creature comforts, in your spiritual stature. I've said before, let me say again, which I often do of course. We're in grave danger when we let our accomplishments become the ground of our confidence. If you feel stronger in God, if I feel stronger in God tonight because I've been preaching 60 years, I'm a fool. I've pushed Jesus on one side, my confidence is in the flesh. The longer I live, the more I find I don't know. But you know, I'm so happy one day in a factory Jesus called me to preach. Remember the first call of Jesus was what? Follow me. Wasn't it? Follow me, I am meek and lowly of heart and ye shall find rest unto you. The first call was follow me. What was the second call? Well, the third was abide in me. And it's not easy. But I remember when I stood on the crack of the ground in that factory and told Jesus, Lord, here I go. I won't, not only will I not go back, I won't even look back. You know, some of you will feed your kids on such junk. Come on, let me see. How many of you read, how many of you are married? How many wish you were? Anyhow. How many are married? Raise your hands. Okay, let me see. Okay, put them down. Thank you. How many of you read to your children Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress? One? Good brother. Well, you have two. Three? Good for you, dear. What about reading The Holy War? That's a greater book than Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, the second volume. Do you know, I once sat in Bunyan's chair and I thought, boy, when I get up I'll write like Bunyan and it didn't work. I went to a place where they had Adam Clarke, the great expositor of the Methodist church, had a high back chair. I sat in that and it didn't help my preaching a bit. I sat in a chair where the King of England had sat and do you know what? Nobody noticed. Can't life be discouraging? Well, he says, buy garments that you're naked. No, he doesn't say that. He says, buy of me garments that the shame of thy nakedness. Isn't it awesome to think that one day at the judgment seat of Christ many of us will be stark naked? Nothing to cover us. Buy of me that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed. That the shame of thy nakedness not appear. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. You know, this scripture is so often applied in an evangelistic meeting. Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. Correct exegesis is not there. He is not knocking at the door of the heart here. He's knocking at the door of the church. God almighty, how can it be? The book of the revelation is not complete yet. And before the canon of scriptures we call it is sealed, Jesus is outside the church. I sometimes wonder if he ever got back. Do you know one of the great things about the Christian life? You better learn it quickly or you'll learn it painfully. Two years ago God gave me a word for the new year. I don't go scattering through the book to find one. The Lord gave me a word, rejection. Great. I had an appointment next month I was looking for in the 17th of April. Today the Bible school found somehow they crossed their wires and they didn't throw the other guy out, they threw me out. Good, good. I'll have less responsibility at the judgment seat. I would have delivered my soul, I knew the message God wanted me to give, but they rejected it. Jesus was born and there's no room for him in the inn. He got a bit older, there was no room in his family, his family turned on him. He went to the temple, no room in the temple, the temple turned on him. And when he died there was no room to bury him, he died outside of the city. Well why in God's name do you expect to be accepted everywhere? How is it the world couldn't get on with the holiest man that ever lived and it can get on with you and me? Have we compromised? Are we no spiritual stature? Have we no righteousness that reflects on their corruption? I stand at the door and knock. Who is this, Gabriel? No. Who is it, Michael the archangel? No. Who is it? Well I'll tell you, we read in the previous chapter there. These things saith the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. Can you imagine it? I stand at the door. Their redeemer is standing at the door. Their savior is standing at the door. Their sanctifier is standing at the door. Their coming king is standing at the door trying to get in. You know doors are very interesting in the bible. Remember Noah built an ark and