April 29, 2025 • 26 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
The Church of Laodicea had a disease that's still prevalent
in many churches today, material wealth masking spiritual poverty today.
On turning point, doctor David Jeremiah shares Christ's prescription for
this ancient church, But is it a remedy today's prideful
generation is willing to swallow? Listen now, as David introduces
(00:27):
the conclusion of his timely message, the disgusting Church Laodicea.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Well, there couldn't be a more apt description of what's
going on in so many churches today than that which
is written here in this section of the Book of Revelation.
To this last church, John the Apostle wrote under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit and told them that they
were in such a state that they made God sick.
(00:54):
He said, I will spew them out of my mouth.
And you know what, we don't want to be in
that spot. We don't want to be in a church
like that. We need to take a note and ask ourselves,
is this what's going on in my church? And if
it is, we need to ask God to give us
the courage to do what needs to be done, either
(01:14):
to get it right or get out you cannot grow
in a church like that. You will be under the
discipline of the Holy Spirit, as we've learned in this text.
So thank you so much for joining us for this
last lesson in the month of April, and this last
lesson in the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation.
Now we have a long way to go in this book,
(01:36):
but this finishes up this section the Seven Churches of Revelation,
and it is powerful, and it is practical, and it
is prophetic. Let's get started with part two. We'll be
back at the end with some more announcements. Thank you
for listening.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I wonder why it is that so many churches.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
Show pictures of their buildings on their bulletin and on
their letter heads. I wonder if these are the things
that we really ought to be focusing on. Are these
the most important things? The board at the lad to
See in church could probably show you the latest annual
report and all of the impressive statistics. Yet Jesus said
(02:17):
he was about to vomit them out of his mouth.
They frankly made him sick. The most surprising part of
the little article written by David Wilkerson is what I
want to share with you now listen carefully, he said,
Brothers and sisters, this is the lukewarm generation. You don't
have to be a theologian to understand that we have
(02:39):
come to the Lataceeaan era that Jesus prophesied would arise
in the very last days. What alarms me, he said,
is that many fundamentalists now share similar pollyannic views about
the role of the modern American church. It seems to
me they are boasting. We have arrived. We have thirty
to forty million evangelicals, have charming, popular, articulate leaders. We
(03:02):
have the money, the expertise, the growing numbers who will
join us. Let's take dominion. I have heard pastors of
large churches boast I'm going to build the biggest church
in America because numbers mean power and influence, and we
must have a church big and powerful enough to enforce
morality in the will of God in our nation and
our communities. These pastors are that blatant and that boastful,
(03:25):
he wrote. This proud, rich, arrogant church now covets power,
not the power of God, but political power. It covets
the White House in Congress and the Supreme Court. And
since we have failed to bring about a Jonah like
revival of repentance and a change in the hearts of men.
We will, according to some, take over the reigns of
(03:46):
government and legislate righteousness. It sounds so pious and so
spiritual and vital.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Like Israel.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Many of God's people are crying for an imperial pulpit
with a spiritual leader who will root out the entrenched
powers of evil and legislate a new moral system. And
the point at accusing finger of thundering prophets and weeping
watchmen is to be replaced by the refined pen of
Christian congressmen inacting moral laws.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I couldn't help but wonder who he sent this to.
He added at the end of the article. God is
not at.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
All impressed with this church's bloated estimate of itself. The
lukewarm leadacy in church is not destined to dominion, power
and authority of any kind.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
It is destined to judgment.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
For two thousand years, the Church of Jesus Christ, he said,
has been rejected and persecuted.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
By the world.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
The blood of millions of rejected martyrs cries out from
the ground. For centuries. Spirit led men and women of
God have been burned at the stakes, sawn asunder, chased
and hunted down like animals. Godly saints were beheaded, others
were drowned. Many were thrown to the lions. The Bible
says they all died in faith, and the world not
worthy of them. Am I now to believe that Jesus
(05:03):
has changed his mind and has decided to close out
the ages with the lukewarm, rich, pampered, boastful, self centered church.
Will the last army of God consist of precinct workers
getting out the vote. Will the soul winners be replaced
with petitioners going into the highways and hedges seeking signatures
for some social cause. Jesus rips off the facade and
(05:26):
exposes the truth about the laydaca in church. It is
not what it thinks it is. It is not what
it says it is. It is not rich, it is poor.
It is not on the increase. It is wretched and
about to be forever cut off.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
It is not.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Strong and in need of nothing. Rather, it is naked
and shameful. It is not a church with new revelation
and deep scriptural insights. Jesus said, it is blind. It
is not going to be the vehicle of Christ's dominion
on earth, but rather the object of his wrath and abhorrence.
End of quote. He's right, but I never heard it
(06:01):
said so eloquently. Don't you sense that as you listen
to what's going on in the world today. I'm not
saying we shouldn't be involved politically. I'm not saying we
shouldn't do all we can to change what we can change,
But men and women, that is not the mission of
the Church of Jesus Christ. The mission of the Church
of Jesus Christ is the redemption of lost souls, the
(06:24):
winning of this world to the cause of Christ, and
doing the work of God. It is outlined in the
text of the scripture. And I defy you to find
one place where we're told where to replace our divine
calling to reach the world for Christ with the kind
of things that have crept into the church and have
sidetracked us from the royal mission which God.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Gave us in the very beginning.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
As an individual, is an American, as a citizen, I
want to do everything I can to change the things
that need to be changed. But I'll tell you what.
It'll be a cold day in California before or I
give up my pulpit for a soapbox, because God has
called me to preach, and that's the highest calling anybody
can be given. When you preach the word of God,
(07:10):
you make a difference in human lives and in the
life of a church. It's frightening to think that some
of the things that have come on the horizon during
your generation and mind have gotten the church away.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
From its central purpose and task.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
In the opinion of the Laodiceans, they thought they were rich,
they had need of nothing, they had become wealthy. But
in the opinion of the Lord, they were wretched, miserable, poor,
blind and naked. Now let me ask you something. Whose
opinion are you going to believe? The Lord saw it
(07:47):
all the way through, didn't he?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
So here was a church that was compromising and conceited.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
And the third thing that it really surprising is that
this church of lay to Sea was a christless church.
Observe one last characteristic about this church. If you have
your bibles open, it's an astonishing thing. Now watch carefully.
Christ is on the outside of the church, knocking, trying
(08:20):
to get in. He is on the outside of the
lad to see in church. He's been gone a long time.
The ages in the centuries have witnessed the development of
the progress and the regress of his church. And during
all of this time, all of this story, the Lord
has been gone. Now he comes back, and he's at
the door, and he's asking the church to receive him.
(08:41):
He is there with his people. No, he's not there
with his people. He's on the outside trying to find
a place in the church, asking the church to let
him in. There's an interesting thing in this last section here,
in the twentieth verse, which is this famous verse in
the letter to Lay to Sea. It is that he
is asking to come in and to sup with him.
(09:04):
The last meal of the day before the dawn was
called the deep nondip n o n as you transliterated
from the Greek language date netto would be to eat
the last supper, And that is the word that is
used here. And Jesus says to the Church of Lay
to see it. I am knocking at the door of
the church, and I want to come in and eat
(09:26):
one last meal with you before the dawn and before
the return of Christ. Yes, I believe there is cause,
as we study the Bible to believe that before the
Lord returns, there may be a coming back, a revival,
a time of return to Christ. And if there isn't,
it won't be because the Lord hasn't entreated the church
to allow him to re enter the picture. It's a
(09:49):
sad picture we see in the Book of Revelation in
the third chapter.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
It's a terrible sadness.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
When the Lord came the first time, according to John
one to eleven, he came unto his own and his
own received him. Not we read in Luke eighteen eight,
when the son of Man cometh, shall he find faith
on the earth? Will there be anyone watching? Will there
be anyone believing? Will there be anyone waiting for Jesus
when he comes back? And if we read this letter carefully,
(10:19):
we would have to wonder, because the picture we see
is the picture of Jesus Christ standing outside the door
of the church, knocking on the door, saying, would you let.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Me back in?
Speaker 4 (10:29):
I'd like to be a part of my church. I'd
like to be put back in the program of my church.
How many countless numbers of churches do we know like that,
where Christ has no part, where it's just a social program,
an activity centered a place where people come to feel
good and to be comfortable. But Christ hasn't been there
(10:50):
in years, and he stands at the door and he knocks.
I want to come back to that in just a moment,
but I want you to notice that we've looked at
the characteristics of the lay to sy and church of
the Last Day Church. Look now at the council to
the Last Day Church in your text. The Lord says
(11:10):
very pointedly. He says, I counsel you verse eighteen. Isn't
that a tremendous thing. Here's this church that has become
lukewarm about their Lord, and yet he still takes time
in his mercy and grace to give them counsel. And
I'd like to suggest to you that as the great physician,
Jesus Christ in his council gives some prescriptions to the
(11:32):
church that is so sick. The Church of Ladacy is
a sick church, and so they need some prescriptions. Prescription
number one for their spiritual compromise. Jesus prescribes verse nineteen,
repentance and zeal. Notice as many as I love, I
rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. The first
(11:58):
step is the step of repentance. If you have read
your letters carefully, you know that already Christ is called
on the church in Ephesus and in Sardis to repent,
and the same message is now addressed to lay to
see you.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
There is no glossing over this charge.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
And Christ warns that he will spit them out of
his mouth if they do not stir themselves up and
repent and become zealous again.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
They must be zealous and repent.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
The first prescription was for the disease of spiritual compromise.
Prescription number two for their poverty. Notice verse eighteen. I
counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,
that you may be rich. Here's some real welcome news
(12:49):
for this church. They think they're rich, but they're poor.
But the Lord gives them a chance to really be rich.
They are poor, but Christ has gold. They are naked,
but Christ has clothes. They're blind, but Christ has eyesav
And they are no longer to trust in their banks
and their eyepowders and their clothing. They are to come
to Him, and He will enrich their poverty and clothe
(13:12):
their nakedness, and heal their blindness, and he can open
their eyes to perceive the spiritual world, which they've never
even dreamed of. You see, the problem with the church
is they're on the gold standard instead of on the
God's standard. They've looked at the church in terms of
buildings and budgets and holdings and opportunities. But Jesus says, listen,
(13:35):
I'll let you buy some real gold. I'll let you
come and find the spiritual gold that will enrich your life,
the gold that the church in Smyrna knew about the
riches they had prescription number three for their nakedness. I
prescribe some white garments. Notice, I counsel you to buy
(13:56):
from me gold refined in the fire, that you may
be rich, and white garments that she may be clothed.
These Christians thought they were clothed in splendor, but they
were really naked. To be naked in the Bible term
means to be defeated or humiliated. The Latesians could go
to the market and purchase fine woolen garments, but that
(14:18):
would not meet their real need.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
What they needed were the.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Right garments of God's righteousness and grace. In Revelation nineteen eight,
we read that we will be clothed in finely and
clean and white, and this symbolizes the righteous acts of
the saints. Salvation means that Christ's righteousness is imputed to us,
put to our account. But sanctification means that His righteousness
(14:42):
is imparted to us, made a part of our character
and of our conduct. And as I mentioned to you
once before, in the Book of Revelation, the Christian is
clothed in eternity, in the righteousness as of his conduct
in the righteous acts. And I remember saying to you
that for sid some of you, if you don't get
busy doing something for God, you're going to spend eternity
(15:06):
indecently exposed, because you won't have anything to wear. And
the Lord said to the church of lay to see it. Listen,
I know what you need. You're naked, but I'll give
you some clothing. Here's the clothing I want to give you.
First of all, my righteousness in salvation. And secondly, your
(15:27):
righteousness is in sanctification as you live your life for me.
Prescription number four for their blindness, I save lay to see.
It was a medical center, and one of the things
manufactured and exported in the city, among other medicinal products,
was what they called Tephraphrygia. It was a tablet bought
(15:51):
all over the Roman Empire, and it was a very
famous thing because the users would take this tablet and
crush it and they would put it on their eyes
in order to to heal any of the ailments that
their eyes might have. It was a very famous medicinal
treatment for eye problems. And so Jesus picks up on
that and he says, listen, you may know what to
(16:11):
do about physical blindness, but let me tell you something.
I've got an ey say of a spiritual eyesay that
will truly open your eyes. So you can now begin
to see that it's not all the gold standard, it's
the God's standard. If you read this letter carefully, you
will see two strains running alongside one another. Here is
the view of the Church, which has taken the materialistic
(16:31):
approach to things, and here is the view of Christ,
and he's taken the spiritual view. And over here on
the Church side they see all of the wealth and
the riches and the things that we look at in
our world today is so important, and it's crept into
the Church so much. And over here is God's view.
He sees the real riches the spiritual realities, and he
(16:53):
offers that church the opportunity to make a change. John
Walvard is that there is gentle irony in the exhortations
for them to buy these needed spiritual things. The fact
was that though they were well endowed with the riches
of this earth, what they needed, they could not buy.
The gold of which Christ spoke was not obtainable at
(17:15):
their bank. Here there may be an illusion to Isaiah
fifty five to one, where the invitation is given, ho
everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he
that hath no money, come ye buy and eat. Come
buy wine and milk without money and without price. There's
a different way to do business when you do business
with God, and that's what he's talking about. Finally, prescription
(17:40):
number five for their christlessness and invitation to all who
hear Verse twenty.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Christ gives the invitation.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
He is represented here in this passage in relationship to
the church. Often we've used Revelation three twenty as a
gospel verse, and it is that because it is individual.
But basically it is a part of a letter written
to a church, and it is not so much Christ
standing at the heart's door of an individual. It is
Christ standing at the door of the Last Day Church,
(18:12):
knocking on the door trying to get in. It's almost
like the Lord is saying, would you see if you
could find some room for me in your program. I mean,
this is my church, my body, my bride. But look
at the invitation. G. Campbell Morgan has written that there
is only one cure for lukewarmness, and that is the
(18:34):
readmission of the excluded Christ. Apostasy must be confronted with
his fidelity, looseness with conviction born of his authority, poverty
with the fact of his wealth, and frost with the
mighty fire of his enthusiasm, and death with the life
divine that is his gift. There is no other cure
for the loneliness of heaven, for the malady of the world,
(18:58):
for the lukewarmness of the church. Church, then the readmitted Christ.
When you want to have Christ back in your church,
you got to invite him back in. You know. Sometimes
I'd love to take this message to churches all over
this county. Just go up and tell him, Hey, would
you like to have Christ back in your church. Let
me tell you, he's standing out there knocking on the door.
(19:19):
He wants to come in. All you have to do
is open the door and invite him, and he'll come in.
There is light for darkness, and there's gladness for mourning.
There's joy for sorrow, and there's hope for despair when
Jesus comes in.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
But the story is plain.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Jesus will only come in if he is asked to
the church of lay to see that is present today,
the last day Church, the compromising Church, the conceited church,
the christless church. Jesus stands on the outside and he says,
(20:00):
let me in. Please open the door. Why won't Jesus
open the door. There's only a handle on the inside.
But I want you to look down at that verse
for just a moment. You have your Bible still open,
and I want you to notice something maybe you haven't seen.
Though this is a letter addressed to a church, it
(20:22):
is a reminder to us that in verse thirteen we
read he who has an ear, let him hear what
the spirit says to the church. Verse twenty may be
an invitation to the pastor of the Church of Laodicea.
But notice how the verse is framed. Behold, I stand
at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice
(20:47):
and opens the door.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
I will come in to him and dine with him,
and he with me.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
This is not an impassioned plead to an organized church
to let Christ in. Yes, it is that addressed to
the pastor, maybe the pastor we mentioned from the Book
of Colossians in behalf of the church. Jesus is asking
permission to come in. But it is also a personal
invitation to every one of us to let Christ into
our lives.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
If we are not saved, to.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Open our heart's door and say, Lord Jesus, come into
my heart and take up residency in my life. If
we are cold, lay it a sea in carnal Christians
who have become compromisers and are conceited. We may have
all the tapes and all the note books and all
the knowledge, and we've become conceited in our walk with God,
(21:43):
but we know in our hearts we are lukewarm. We've
lost our zeal. We have no enthusiasm for the Lord.
The invitation to us is open the door, let Christ
come back. Let me tell you something. Where Christ comes
back in, there can be no lukewarmness. Christ is seated
on the throne in your heart. You can't be half
hearted about your faith. We sing so often just as
(22:08):
I am, without one plea.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
And that's true.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
God isn't asking us to clean up our life and
get ourselves ready so we can invite Christ into our life.
He wants to come in right now. And when he
comes in, my friend, he'll do the job on your life.
It won't be anything like you would ever try, because
when we try to clean ourselves up, we work from
the outside in. When Jesus Christ comes to live within
your heart, he works from the inside out. And that's
(22:36):
why it works, because he not only gets the outward activity,
he takes care of motivations and desires and purposes.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Have you asked him in your heart?
Speaker 4 (22:47):
Have you opened the door of your heart to receive
him first of all as your savior and Christian? Have
you let him come in as your Lord? I know
he lives there as your Savior. I'm not talking about
a second coming of Christ into your life. But it's
one thing for Christ to be living in your heart,
on the periphery of your life. It's another thing for
him to be enthroned at the center of your life,
(23:10):
calling the shots in your life. He wants to come
in the Ladaceaean Church. The lukewarm church at the end
of the age is a church made up of individuals.
The Church of Laiadiceans is the Ladicean Church. God help
(23:32):
us in this age in which we live as members
of a church, servants of God. Not to let our
zeal weigne, but to let Christ reign.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Amen. Amen. And this is the Church of Christ. This
is christ Church, not ours. It belongs to Him when
he's on the throne. When we give him priority and sovereignty,
the Church is well and we will see that along
the way. Even in the Book of Revelation. I am
so thankful for your joining me on this journey. It
is a rather extended journey. As I'm already mentioned, there
(24:10):
are four study guides that take us from Revelation chapter
one all the way through to the end of the book.
These study guides are available from Turning Point David Jeremiah
dot Org. There you will find them, and you will
be prepared to follow us in detail every day as
we go through this long study. And this will be
something that will bless your heart. And the Bible says
(24:30):
those who study this book will be blessed. And I
expect that will be true. So I hope you'll be
with us and join us tomorrow as we continue our
study in the Book of Revelation. This is called Escape
the Coming Night. That's the name of the series, and
we'll see you next time right here on this good station.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Our message today came to you from Shadow Mountain Community
Church and doctor David Jeremiah. What is God doing in
your life as a result of this ministry? Write and
tell us at Turning Point Po Box thirty eight thirty eight,
San Diego, California, nine two one sixty three. Visit our
website at David Jeremiah dot org, Slash Radio, or call
(25:19):
eight hundred nine four seven nineteen ninety three ask for
your copy of David's best selling, in depth book on revelation,
Escape the Coming Night. It's yours for a gift of
any amount. You can also stream more than twelve hundred
of doctor Jeremiah's messages on demand on any screen with
our streaming service Turning Point Plus. For a monthly gift
(25:41):
of any amount, visit turningpointplus dot org for details. This
is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue
the series Escape the Coming Night on Turning Point with
doctor David Jeremiah
The Church of Laodicea had a disease that's still prevalent
in many churches today, material wealth masking spiritual poverty today.
On turning point, doctor David Jeremiah shares Christ's prescription for
this ancient church, But is it a remedy today's prideful
generation is willing to swallow? Listen now, as David introduces
(00:27):
the conclusion of his timely message, the disgusting Church Laodicea.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Well, there couldn't be a more apt description of what's
going on in so many churches today than that which
is written here in this section of the Book of Revelation.
To this last church, John the Apostle wrote under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit and told them that they
were in such a state that they made God sick.
(00:54):
He said, I will spew them out of my mouth.
And you know what, we don't want to be in
that spot. We don't want to be in a church
like that. We need to take a note and ask ourselves,
is this what's going on in my church? And if
it is, we need to ask God to give us
the courage to do what needs to be done, either
(01:14):
to get it right or get out you cannot grow
in a church like that. You will be under the
discipline of the Holy Spirit, as we've learned in this text.
So thank you so much for joining us for this
last lesson in the month of April, and this last
lesson in the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation.
Now we have a long way to go in this book,
(01:36):
but this finishes up this section the Seven Churches of Revelation,
and it is powerful, and it is practical, and it
is prophetic. Let's get started with part two. We'll be
back at the end with some more announcements. Thank you
for listening.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I wonder why it is that so many churches.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
Show pictures of their buildings on their bulletin and on
their letter heads. I wonder if these are the things
that we really ought to be focusing on. Are these
the most important things? The board at the lad to
See in church could probably show you the latest annual
report and all of the impressive statistics. Yet Jesus said
(02:17):
he was about to vomit them out of his mouth.
They frankly made him sick. The most surprising part of
the little article written by David Wilkerson is what I
want to share with you now listen carefully, he said,
Brothers and sisters, this is the lukewarm generation. You don't
have to be a theologian to understand that we have
(02:39):
come to the Lataceeaan era that Jesus prophesied would arise
in the very last days. What alarms me, he said,
is that many fundamentalists now share similar pollyannic views about
the role of the modern American church. It seems to
me they are boasting. We have arrived. We have thirty
to forty million evangelicals, have charming, popular, articulate leaders. We
(03:02):
have the money, the expertise, the growing numbers who will
join us. Let's take dominion. I have heard pastors of
large churches boast I'm going to build the biggest church
in America because numbers mean power and influence, and we
must have a church big and powerful enough to enforce
morality in the will of God in our nation and
our communities. These pastors are that blatant and that boastful,
(03:25):
he wrote. This proud, rich, arrogant church now covets power,
not the power of God, but political power. It covets
the White House in Congress and the Supreme Court. And
since we have failed to bring about a Jonah like
revival of repentance and a change in the hearts of men.
We will, according to some, take over the reigns of
(03:46):
government and legislate righteousness. It sounds so pious and so
spiritual and vital.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Like Israel.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Many of God's people are crying for an imperial pulpit
with a spiritual leader who will root out the entrenched
powers of evil and legislate a new moral system. And
the point at accusing finger of thundering prophets and weeping
watchmen is to be replaced by the refined pen of
Christian congressmen inacting moral laws.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I couldn't help but wonder who he sent this to.
He added at the end of the article. God is
not at.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
All impressed with this church's bloated estimate of itself. The
lukewarm leadacy in church is not destined to dominion, power
and authority of any kind.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
It is destined to judgment.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
For two thousand years, the Church of Jesus Christ, he said,
has been rejected and persecuted.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
By the world.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
The blood of millions of rejected martyrs cries out from
the ground. For centuries. Spirit led men and women of
God have been burned at the stakes, sawn asunder, chased
and hunted down like animals. Godly saints were beheaded, others
were drowned. Many were thrown to the lions. The Bible
says they all died in faith, and the world not
worthy of them. Am I now to believe that Jesus
(05:03):
has changed his mind and has decided to close out
the ages with the lukewarm, rich, pampered, boastful, self centered church.
Will the last army of God consist of precinct workers
getting out the vote. Will the soul winners be replaced
with petitioners going into the highways and hedges seeking signatures
for some social cause. Jesus rips off the facade and
(05:26):
exposes the truth about the laydaca in church. It is
not what it thinks it is. It is not what
it says it is. It is not rich, it is poor.
It is not on the increase. It is wretched and
about to be forever cut off.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
It is not.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Strong and in need of nothing. Rather, it is naked
and shameful. It is not a church with new revelation
and deep scriptural insights. Jesus said, it is blind. It
is not going to be the vehicle of Christ's dominion
on earth, but rather the object of his wrath and abhorrence.
End of quote. He's right, but I never heard it
(06:01):
said so eloquently. Don't you sense that as you listen
to what's going on in the world today. I'm not
saying we shouldn't be involved politically. I'm not saying we
shouldn't do all we can to change what we can change,
But men and women, that is not the mission of
the Church of Jesus Christ. The mission of the Church
of Jesus Christ is the redemption of lost souls, the
(06:24):
winning of this world to the cause of Christ, and
doing the work of God. It is outlined in the
text of the scripture. And I defy you to find
one place where we're told where to replace our divine
calling to reach the world for Christ with the kind
of things that have crept into the church and have
sidetracked us from the royal mission which God.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Gave us in the very beginning.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
As an individual, is an American, as a citizen, I
want to do everything I can to change the things
that need to be changed. But I'll tell you what.
It'll be a cold day in California before or I
give up my pulpit for a soapbox, because God has
called me to preach, and that's the highest calling anybody
can be given. When you preach the word of God,
(07:10):
you make a difference in human lives and in the
life of a church. It's frightening to think that some
of the things that have come on the horizon during
your generation and mind have gotten the church away.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
From its central purpose and task.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
In the opinion of the Laodiceans, they thought they were rich,
they had need of nothing, they had become wealthy. But
in the opinion of the Lord, they were wretched, miserable, poor,
blind and naked. Now let me ask you something. Whose
opinion are you going to believe? The Lord saw it
(07:47):
all the way through, didn't he?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
So here was a church that was compromising and conceited.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
And the third thing that it really surprising is that
this church of lay to Sea was a christless church.
Observe one last characteristic about this church. If you have
your bibles open, it's an astonishing thing. Now watch carefully.
Christ is on the outside of the church, knocking, trying
(08:20):
to get in. He is on the outside of the
lad to see in church. He's been gone a long time.
The ages in the centuries have witnessed the development of
the progress and the regress of his church. And during
all of this time, all of this story, the Lord
has been gone. Now he comes back, and he's at
the door, and he's asking the church to receive him.
(08:41):
He is there with his people. No, he's not there
with his people. He's on the outside trying to find
a place in the church, asking the church to let
him in. There's an interesting thing in this last section here,
in the twentieth verse, which is this famous verse in
the letter to Lay to Sea. It is that he
is asking to come in and to sup with him.
(09:04):
The last meal of the day before the dawn was
called the deep nondip n o n as you transliterated
from the Greek language date netto would be to eat
the last supper, And that is the word that is
used here. And Jesus says to the Church of Lay
to see it. I am knocking at the door of
the church, and I want to come in and eat
(09:26):
one last meal with you before the dawn and before
the return of Christ. Yes, I believe there is cause,
as we study the Bible to believe that before the
Lord returns, there may be a coming back, a revival,
a time of return to Christ. And if there isn't,
it won't be because the Lord hasn't entreated the church
to allow him to re enter the picture. It's a
(09:49):
sad picture we see in the Book of Revelation in
the third chapter.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
It's a terrible sadness.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
When the Lord came the first time, according to John
one to eleven, he came unto his own and his
own received him. Not we read in Luke eighteen eight,
when the son of Man cometh, shall he find faith
on the earth? Will there be anyone watching? Will there
be anyone believing? Will there be anyone waiting for Jesus
when he comes back? And if we read this letter carefully,
(10:19):
we would have to wonder, because the picture we see
is the picture of Jesus Christ standing outside the door
of the church, knocking on the door, saying, would you let.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Me back in?
Speaker 4 (10:29):
I'd like to be a part of my church. I'd
like to be put back in the program of my church.
How many countless numbers of churches do we know like that,
where Christ has no part, where it's just a social program,
an activity centered a place where people come to feel
good and to be comfortable. But Christ hasn't been there
(10:50):
in years, and he stands at the door and he knocks.
I want to come back to that in just a moment,
but I want you to notice that we've looked at
the characteristics of the lay to sy and church of
the Last Day Church. Look now at the council to
the Last Day Church in your text. The Lord says
(11:10):
very pointedly. He says, I counsel you verse eighteen. Isn't
that a tremendous thing. Here's this church that has become
lukewarm about their Lord, and yet he still takes time
in his mercy and grace to give them counsel. And
I'd like to suggest to you that as the great physician,
Jesus Christ in his council gives some prescriptions to the
(11:32):
church that is so sick. The Church of Ladacy is
a sick church, and so they need some prescriptions. Prescription
number one for their spiritual compromise. Jesus prescribes verse nineteen,
repentance and zeal. Notice as many as I love, I
rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. The first
(11:58):
step is the step of repentance. If you have read
your letters carefully, you know that already Christ is called
on the church in Ephesus and in Sardis to repent,
and the same message is now addressed to lay to
see you.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
There is no glossing over this charge.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
And Christ warns that he will spit them out of
his mouth if they do not stir themselves up and
repent and become zealous again.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
They must be zealous and repent.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
The first prescription was for the disease of spiritual compromise.
Prescription number two for their poverty. Notice verse eighteen. I
counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,
that you may be rich. Here's some real welcome news
(12:49):
for this church. They think they're rich, but they're poor.
But the Lord gives them a chance to really be rich.
They are poor, but Christ has gold. They are naked,
but Christ has clothes. They're blind, but Christ has eyesav
And they are no longer to trust in their banks
and their eyepowders and their clothing. They are to come
to Him, and He will enrich their poverty and clothe
(13:12):
their nakedness, and heal their blindness, and he can open
their eyes to perceive the spiritual world, which they've never
even dreamed of. You see, the problem with the church
is they're on the gold standard instead of on the
God's standard. They've looked at the church in terms of
buildings and budgets and holdings and opportunities. But Jesus says, listen,
(13:35):
I'll let you buy some real gold. I'll let you
come and find the spiritual gold that will enrich your life,
the gold that the church in Smyrna knew about the
riches they had prescription number three for their nakedness. I
prescribe some white garments. Notice, I counsel you to buy
(13:56):
from me gold refined in the fire, that you may
be rich, and white garments that she may be clothed.
These Christians thought they were clothed in splendor, but they
were really naked. To be naked in the Bible term
means to be defeated or humiliated. The Latesians could go
to the market and purchase fine woolen garments, but that
(14:18):
would not meet their real need.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
What they needed were the.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Right garments of God's righteousness and grace. In Revelation nineteen eight,
we read that we will be clothed in finely and
clean and white, and this symbolizes the righteous acts of
the saints. Salvation means that Christ's righteousness is imputed to us,
put to our account. But sanctification means that His righteousness
(14:42):
is imparted to us, made a part of our character
and of our conduct. And as I mentioned to you
once before, in the Book of Revelation, the Christian is
clothed in eternity, in the righteousness as of his conduct
in the righteous acts. And I remember saying to you
that for sid some of you, if you don't get
busy doing something for God, you're going to spend eternity
(15:06):
indecently exposed, because you won't have anything to wear. And
the Lord said to the church of lay to see it. Listen,
I know what you need. You're naked, but I'll give
you some clothing. Here's the clothing I want to give you.
First of all, my righteousness in salvation. And secondly, your
(15:27):
righteousness is in sanctification as you live your life for me.
Prescription number four for their blindness, I save lay to see.
It was a medical center, and one of the things
manufactured and exported in the city, among other medicinal products,
was what they called Tephraphrygia. It was a tablet bought
(15:51):
all over the Roman Empire, and it was a very
famous thing because the users would take this tablet and
crush it and they would put it on their eyes
in order to to heal any of the ailments that
their eyes might have. It was a very famous medicinal
treatment for eye problems. And so Jesus picks up on
that and he says, listen, you may know what to
(16:11):
do about physical blindness, but let me tell you something.
I've got an ey say of a spiritual eyesay that
will truly open your eyes. So you can now begin
to see that it's not all the gold standard, it's
the God's standard. If you read this letter carefully, you
will see two strains running alongside one another. Here is
the view of the Church, which has taken the materialistic
(16:31):
approach to things, and here is the view of Christ,
and he's taken the spiritual view. And over here on
the Church side they see all of the wealth and
the riches and the things that we look at in
our world today is so important, and it's crept into
the Church so much. And over here is God's view.
He sees the real riches the spiritual realities, and he
(16:53):
offers that church the opportunity to make a change. John
Walvard is that there is gentle irony in the exhortations
for them to buy these needed spiritual things. The fact
was that though they were well endowed with the riches
of this earth, what they needed, they could not buy.
The gold of which Christ spoke was not obtainable at
(17:15):
their bank. Here there may be an illusion to Isaiah
fifty five to one, where the invitation is given, ho
everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he
that hath no money, come ye buy and eat. Come
buy wine and milk without money and without price. There's
a different way to do business when you do business
with God, and that's what he's talking about. Finally, prescription
(17:40):
number five for their christlessness and invitation to all who
hear Verse twenty.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Christ gives the invitation.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
He is represented here in this passage in relationship to
the church. Often we've used Revelation three twenty as a
gospel verse, and it is that because it is individual.
But basically it is a part of a letter written
to a church, and it is not so much Christ
standing at the heart's door of an individual. It is
Christ standing at the door of the Last Day Church,
(18:12):
knocking on the door trying to get in. It's almost
like the Lord is saying, would you see if you
could find some room for me in your program. I mean,
this is my church, my body, my bride. But look
at the invitation. G. Campbell Morgan has written that there
is only one cure for lukewarmness, and that is the
(18:34):
readmission of the excluded Christ. Apostasy must be confronted with
his fidelity, looseness with conviction born of his authority, poverty
with the fact of his wealth, and frost with the
mighty fire of his enthusiasm, and death with the life
divine that is his gift. There is no other cure
for the loneliness of heaven, for the malady of the world,
(18:58):
for the lukewarmness of the church. Church, then the readmitted Christ.
When you want to have Christ back in your church,
you got to invite him back in. You know. Sometimes
I'd love to take this message to churches all over
this county. Just go up and tell him, Hey, would
you like to have Christ back in your church. Let
me tell you, he's standing out there knocking on the door.
(19:19):
He wants to come in. All you have to do
is open the door and invite him, and he'll come in.
There is light for darkness, and there's gladness for mourning.
There's joy for sorrow, and there's hope for despair when
Jesus comes in.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
But the story is plain.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Jesus will only come in if he is asked to
the church of lay to see that is present today,
the last day Church, the compromising Church, the conceited church,
the christless church. Jesus stands on the outside and he says,
(20:00):
let me in. Please open the door. Why won't Jesus
open the door. There's only a handle on the inside.
But I want you to look down at that verse
for just a moment. You have your Bible still open,
and I want you to notice something maybe you haven't seen.
Though this is a letter addressed to a church, it
(20:22):
is a reminder to us that in verse thirteen we
read he who has an ear, let him hear what
the spirit says to the church. Verse twenty may be
an invitation to the pastor of the Church of Laodicea.
But notice how the verse is framed. Behold, I stand
at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice
(20:47):
and opens the door.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
I will come in to him and dine with him,
and he with me.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
This is not an impassioned plead to an organized church
to let Christ in. Yes, it is that addressed to
the pastor, maybe the pastor we mentioned from the Book
of Colossians in behalf of the church. Jesus is asking
permission to come in. But it is also a personal
invitation to every one of us to let Christ into
our lives.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
If we are not saved, to.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Open our heart's door and say, Lord Jesus, come into
my heart and take up residency in my life. If
we are cold, lay it a sea in carnal Christians
who have become compromisers and are conceited. We may have
all the tapes and all the note books and all
the knowledge, and we've become conceited in our walk with God,
(21:43):
but we know in our hearts we are lukewarm. We've
lost our zeal. We have no enthusiasm for the Lord.
The invitation to us is open the door, let Christ
come back. Let me tell you something. Where Christ comes
back in, there can be no lukewarmness. Christ is seated
on the throne in your heart. You can't be half
hearted about your faith. We sing so often just as
(22:08):
I am, without one plea.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
And that's true.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
God isn't asking us to clean up our life and
get ourselves ready so we can invite Christ into our life.
He wants to come in right now. And when he
comes in, my friend, he'll do the job on your life.
It won't be anything like you would ever try, because
when we try to clean ourselves up, we work from
the outside in. When Jesus Christ comes to live within
your heart, he works from the inside out. And that's
(22:36):
why it works, because he not only gets the outward activity,
he takes care of motivations and desires and purposes.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Have you asked him in your heart?
Speaker 4 (22:47):
Have you opened the door of your heart to receive
him first of all as your savior and Christian? Have
you let him come in as your Lord? I know
he lives there as your Savior. I'm not talking about
a second coming of Christ into your life. But it's
one thing for Christ to be living in your heart,
on the periphery of your life. It's another thing for
him to be enthroned at the center of your life,
(23:10):
calling the shots in your life. He wants to come
in the Ladaceaean Church. The lukewarm church at the end
of the age is a church made up of individuals.
The Church of Laiadiceans is the Ladicean Church. God help
(23:32):
us in this age in which we live as members
of a church, servants of God. Not to let our
zeal weigne, but to let Christ reign.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Amen. Amen. And this is the Church of Christ. This
is christ Church, not ours. It belongs to Him when
he's on the throne. When we give him priority and sovereignty,
the Church is well and we will see that along
the way. Even in the Book of Revelation. I am
so thankful for your joining me on this journey. It
is a rather extended journey. As I'm already mentioned, there
(24:10):
are four study guides that take us from Revelation chapter
one all the way through to the end of the book.
These study guides are available from Turning Point David Jeremiah
dot Org. There you will find them, and you will
be prepared to follow us in detail every day as
we go through this long study. And this will be
something that will bless your heart. And the Bible says
(24:30):
those who study this book will be blessed. And I
expect that will be true. So I hope you'll be
with us and join us tomorrow as we continue our
study in the Book of Revelation. This is called Escape
the Coming Night. That's the name of the series, and
we'll see you next time right here on this good station.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Our message today came to you from Shadow Mountain Community
Church and doctor David Jeremiah. What is God doing in
your life as a result of this ministry? Write and
tell us at Turning Point Po Box thirty eight thirty eight,
San Diego, California, nine two one sixty three. Visit our
website at David Jeremiah dot org, Slash Radio, or call
(25:19):
eight hundred nine four seven nineteen ninety three ask for
your copy of David's best selling, in depth book on revelation,
Escape the Coming Night. It's yours for a gift of
any amount. You can also stream more than twelve hundred
of doctor Jeremiah's messages on demand on any screen with
our streaming service Turning Point Plus. For a monthly gift
(25:41):
of any amount, visit turningpointplus dot org for details. This
is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue
the series Escape the Coming Night on Turning Point with
doctor David Jeremiah
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