Seven letters and time for personal reflection, part 4

(Rewritten notes from a message given on Aug. 30, 2009, at Corona International Christian Fellowship.)

Quick summary as to why we're doing this:

2 Timothy 3:1-5

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

In other words, there are people within the body of believers in Christ who are not believers, but pretenders – and they, in these last days will (and do) live and teach such a life. We need to be watchful of them and HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM.

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

So we’re going to enter a period of self-examination, both as a church and as the people who make up the church, with the help of the Lord Himself through His holy Word.

In my limited study of revivals in the church, great movements of God among and in His children happened in times of repentance, in times of acknowledging their failings and crying out to the Lord for forgiveness.

As someone once said, if you want to start a revival in your church, go to a quiet room, draw a circle on the floor, get on your knees inside it and pray to the Lord to search your heart.

Remember as you read the Scripture passages that these are the words of Jesus Christ, given to the apostle John to give to the seven churches in Asia Minor.

Revelation 4:14-22

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

21 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. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Teaching Point No. 1
Letter to the church in Laodicea
Indifference to your faith and to Jesus is a dangerous thing.

In four of the past six letters to the churches where Jesus had a rebuke and an encouragement to repent, He also found some redeeming qualities within these four churches.

Ephesus (first love taken for granted)
They hated false teachers and they hated the practices of the Nicolaitans.

Pergamum (some allowed, and held to, the teaching of Balaam = immorality)
They stood firm for Jesus even as they were persecuted.

Thyatira (tolerated Jezebel, the false prophetess who taught immorality)
They were faithful, they served, they persevered and did more than they had done when they first came to know Christ.

Sardis (dead faith, going through the motions)
There was a group of people who stood firm in their faith in Jesus, and were examples to their fallen brothers and sisters.

But Laodicea seems to be in more trouble than the others. They were neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, just like the Laodician’s water supply, historians say. So that idea of being lukewarm had to have struck a chord with them … And who likes to drink anything lukewarm? Who likes lukewarm tea or coffee? Who likes lukewarm soda? Who likes lukewarm Gatorade?

Jesus does not say anything really redeeming about how the Laodicean church carries itself. He wishes they were hot or cold and not stuck in neutral -- and worse yet, putting on appearances that all is well – because being neutral is not a good thing:

Revelation 3:17

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

Here’s how it likely plays out in modern terms.


My question is, how can one have a genuine encounter with Jesus, God made flesh, have the Holy Spirit dwell in him or her, and be indifferent to the truth? How can one not be moved in one way or the other after such an encounter through His written Word or His written Word preached?

I mean, in every mention that I’ve read in the Bible of man coming into the presence of God, whether it be God incarnate as Jesus or God as He chose to reveal Himself as in the Old Testament, people had a reaction. The demons had a reaction. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t know if there is no record of anyone being indifferent to being in the Lord’s presence.

But in Laodicea – and today as well – people calling themselves believers live do so in name and appearance only – they sing the “happy songs” and say the right things, and maybe quote the Bible once in a while. Jesus says of them, “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

In James 1, it says

James 1:22-24

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

I think that’s what Jesus meant by Laodiceans being blind and wretched … There is some serious denial going on here, just as there was with Ryan in the video.

Verse 16 is a problem for me. I’m bouncing around on exactly what Jesus means about spitting the lukewarm in faith out of His mouth. The NIV uses “spit” as a less offensive way of putting it … in fact, in the original Greek, the word used is emeō, which translates into “vomit” or “throw up” in our language – the very thing I feel like when I get lukewarm Gatorade on a very hot long run. It’s a very violent act for the body to rid itself of something unpleasant, offensive, distasteful or bad.

Does that mean Jesus is having nothing to do with them once He does vomit these indifferent people out?

Maybe it’s this, and please listen (read) carefully: I’m not suggesting at all that someone can “lose” his salvation, that God will take it away from him. What I am suggesting is that maybe he never had it in the first place, because he NEVER accepted God’s gift through the grace and mercy of Jesus’s cross.

And in their indifference to Jesus, maybe they never really accepted Him as Lord and Savior. Maybe they made the outward appearance of doing that, but they never really committed their lives to Him, to follow Him, to truly call Him Lord – which means “master” – and have Him direct their lives.

And while I fear for others who are in this boat, I fear for myself as well. And that causes me to check inward and ask, “Am I lukewarm? Even though outwardly I may look like I’m doing and saying the right things, am I indifferent to the truth and just sitting on the fence, thinking I’m OK, when no one is around to see … Am I deceiving myself?”

Do you ever ask yourself that?

I don’t doubt Jesus, I don’t doubt God’s Bible, I don’t doubt its truth, I don’t doubt God’s promises in His Word. What I do doubt is me and my faith. As it’s written in Mark 9:24. as the father of the sick boy cried out the Jesus to heal his son, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

And Jesus does offer that, because while He’s about to spit the lukewarm out, he says two important words …

“about to” …

That gives me hope, hope for me, hope for those who are stuck in neutral … because Jesus is reaching out:

Revelation 3:18-19

“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, 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.”

He gives us the truth we need to turn back to Him. He offers more that the short-term, feel-good answers the world offers us. He offers a way back by offering us Himself ... God in the flesh, offering Himself to us, even as lowly and wretched, pitiful, blind and naked as we are … Just like the blind that He healed, He wants to do the same for us so that we can truly see.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
Are you lukewarm? Do you think you have all that you need and in front of people, you do what looks like Christianity, but in reality, when no one is looking but you and the Lord, are you really blind and naked? How do we fix this? How do we be earnest and repent?

Application
Open the door of your heart to Jesus.

Revelation 3:20

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

We often associate that verse with inviting people to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and that’s a perfectly OK application … But its original context, it’s aimed at the church whose people have become indifferent to the Lord. It’s aimed at people who know the truth that Jesus is truly Lord, have heard the sermons, read the passages, sang the songs, gone to the Bible studies, have quoted the Scripture, but only deceive themselves about their devotion to Jesus.

But the Lord offers repeatedly an invitation to repent and return to Him:

Hebrews 4:7, Hebrews 3:15, Psalm 95-7-8 all say:

Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.

I don’t know about you, but when I see God repeat Himself in Scripture, I have to understand that it’s important for me to reflect on it and to check myself to see if I am truly applying that to my life. The tendency sometimes – in our overconfidence and even in our arrogance -- is to say that it doesn’t apply to ourselves – but really, I think the Lord is asking us – all of us – to examine ourselves as Paul urged the Corinthian church to do.

And you know what the coolest thing ever is, when we heed the Lord’s call and be earnest and repent?

Revelation 3:21

"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."

For those who overcome, we get to be in the throne room of the Father and the Son in heaven! And that lead to the second teaching point today.

Teaching Point No. 2
In the throne room of the Lord, a sneak preview for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 4

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spiritsa of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

I’m not going to get too much into breaking down this passage exegetically … I’m not going to get into the symbolism of the four living creatures or who the 24 elders are. There are – and will be – other opportunities to get into the deep Biblical meaning of all that.

Instead, what I’d would l like to do is bask and rejoice in this passage. Because when those who are in Christ are in His presence in His throne room in heaven, we’re going to know what all that means and who they all are.

This looks similar to the vision Isaiah saw in the year King Uzziah died, when he beheld the living God whose robe filled the whole temple and he saw the angels who were calling to one another in a really loud voice,

“Holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
The earth is filled with His glory”

And everything in the temple is shaking at the sound of their voices.

Isaiah realizes his unworthiness in the site of the Almighty Perfect Creator, yet angel takes a live coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it and says, “See, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then God calls Isaiah to duty – just as he calls us … and just as Isaiah said, “Here am I” in response to the Lord, so I am praying we are responding likewise as the Lord calls us to duty.

Fast forward and we get a glimpse of eternity through John’s eyes. For those in eternity who are in the presence of the Lord, the work He had called them to in this world is done – and there is the declaration of eternity of God when they say:

“Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”

And we get this scene of thunder and lighting coming from the throne on which someone sat … and that person, we come to learn, is the One … the One who always was, is and is to come … the Creator by whose will every thing was created … and the four strange looking living creatures and 24 elders with crowns dressed in white, and a sea of glass before the throne, and an emerald rainbow that CIRCLED the thrown, and seven lamps blazing …

Application
Know this is what awaits you if you are in Christ Jesus, if He is your Lord and Savior and you have overcome through Him. Know that, and let that help you put everything in this life in its proper perspective.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
Imagine being in God's throne room, in the very presence of the One who made you, who created all there is. What would that be like? Does this exhilarate you, knowing that some day, just as the Lord promised that if you overcome in this life by putting all your faith in Him and walking in His ways, you will be in His glorious presence?

Think about that as you listen to this song:


For some of you, does it scare you, because you're not sure if you will be in the presence of God, basking in His radiant love? (If that's you , feel free to e-mail me at alan.llavore@gmail.com, and with God's Word, I'll try to help you sort it all out.)

A midweek addition ...



You Hold Me Now
© 2008 Matt Crocker and Reuben Morgan/Hillsong Publishing (adm in the U.S. and Canada by Integrity Worship Music)/ASCAP
Words & Music by Matt Crocker & Reuben Morgan // CCLI: 5372151

On that day when I see
All that You have for me
When I see You face to face
There surrounded by Your grace
All my fears swept away
In the light of Your embrace
Where Your love is all I need
And forever I am free

Where the streets are made of gold
In Your presence healed and whole
Let the songs of heaven
Rise to You alone

No weeping no hurt or pain
No suffering You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sick or lame
No hiding You hold me now
You hold me now

In this life I will stand
Through my joy and my pain
Knowing there's a greater day
There's a hope that never fails
Where Your Name is lifted high
And forever praises rise
For the glory of Your Name
I'm believing for the day

Where the wars and violence cease
All creation lives in peace
Let the songs of heaven
Rise to You alone

For eternity
All my heart will give
All the glory to Your Name

Questions, comments, yes, even criticisms, leave 'em below ...