Bible Study - Revelation THREE

In this episode, we continue our study through Book of Revelation Chapter 3, where Jesus speaks to the churches of Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea with urgency, warning, and promise.

Walking verse by verse, we uncover the danger of spiritual complacency, the power of faithful endurance, and the deception of lukewarm Christianity. From Sardis having a reputation of being alive while spiritually dead, to Philadelphia remaining faithful under pressure, to Laodicea’s pride and self-sufficiency, each letter reveals how Jesus evaluates His Church.

This teaching is a strong call to spiritual awakening, perseverance, and wholehearted surrender, reminding believers that Christ still stands at the door and calls His people to respond.

Transcript

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Welcome to the Summit Church Podcast. Thank you for joining us as we share weekly sermons and teachings from Summit Church in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Our prayer is that today's message encourages your faith and helps you grow in your relationship with Jesus. Check out our website at SummitChurchtn.com. Thanks for listening, and we pray this message encourages you today.

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We're on Revelation chapter three, and uh I've given some from the notes from um last week, and let me say something really, really quickly about these notes. What I've got developed, and I'm getting this to Mormon. What I've got developed on those notes is for you to be able to have some context of information that would help you understand the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, saying that, that means a lot of these notes, you're probably not going to hear me say verbatim, and which sometimes you can get lost trying to do all that. The notes for you is for you to write down your understanding and not simply write down something that I I said. Don't repeat it, it's what I'm telling you. The notes are for your growth, and that's what it's for because I the whole goal, we said this at the beginning, since we're on the third chapter, the whole goal is to take away the fear of the entire book because the goal is to make sure that we see from the perception and the understanding of Jesus Christ. That's what it's about. So if we get this map back up in Revelation chapter 3, we're gonna finish the Turkey map right here. We're gonna finish out the seven letters of the churches. Now, uh when we get in this, you're still gonna see this is modern day. So this is ideally where this was at that time. Some of you, your Bibles may have maps in the back, and some of those Bibles that have maps will have the seven churches of the Asia Minor, and you'll see a different image. This would be modern day to get an understanding of where these churches are at. So, in this, there is a purpose, and I'd like to do this for each chapter. Uh, here we see that Jesus is the one who's going to expose spiritual illusion. He's going to open doors that no man can shut, and he's going to be one who calls for true repentance and restored fellowship. As this is happening, this is the continuation. Remember, there the time that the Apostle John the Revelator, the Apostle John, the John the Beloved, he writes this. He's not writing it in chapters and verses. So this is all in one continuation of when he's had this encounter with Jesus. So Jesus in this pattern is revealing himself uniquely. He is uh evaluating true conditions. Again, the um uh the understanding that God knows the intent of the heart. We live in a culture now where the culture keeps telling us, follow your dreams, follow your heart. Yet scripture also says your heart is deceitfully wicked in all its ways. But also it says, out of the abundance of the mouth, so shall the no, out of the abundance of the what's the what's the verse? Let's get it right. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. In this, it's showing really what's in our hearts. It's kind of like one of the things that we like to say, we're all guilty of it. I'm guilty. I'm like Paul, I'd probably say, I'm chief sinner here. You ever said something and then said, Oh, I didn't mean to say that? Anybody else suffer from foot and mouth disease? Yeah. It's one of those things, but the truth is, you probably did mean to say it because it was in there. And we just wished we hadn't said it. That's the thing. So Jesus is exposing what is hidden. He's gonna call for a response. We've seen this pattern in chapter two, and he's gonna have a promise to those that overcome. So this same pattern that we saw in chapter two, we're seeing in chapter three. In chapter three, we're gonna notice that not all churches that appear to be alive are alive. And not all churches that appear weak are actually weak. There is this where Jesus is going to expose the difference between appearance and reality. Let's put it in modern day term. Social media and what's really happening. Everybody has the perfect life on social media. All hell's breaking loose behind the scenes. But, you know, look at my pretty steak and my pretty flowers, and you know, it you sometimes when you get in social media, you see those people talk about how awesome their spouse is, and six months later they're going through a divorce, and you're like, what went wrong? Neither here nor there. Now, the chapter reveals that Sardis appears to be alive, but is dead. Philadelphia remains faithful and is aligned. And Laodicea is lukewarm and self-reliant. So let's dive into it. Revelation chapter 3, verse 1. And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, he who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this I know your deeds, that you have a name, that you are alive, but you are dead. Well, that's an encouraging start to the to the letter, right? So again, Jesus is revealing himself. He opens up, he reveals this. He is the fullness of the Spirit. He holds all authority over the church. We saw this same pattern in chapter 2. He's establishing that he is the source of spiritual life and he has the authority over all spiritual condition. So, one of the things that we'll begin to see throughout this chapter is true spiritual life comes from Jesus Christ, not an earned reputation. And here's what I mean. You can do the song and dance and earn a reputation, and everybody thinks you're spiritual. But true spirituality comes from the maturity of a private devotion unto the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So here's what Jesus tells them. They have a name, they have a reputation of being alive, but they're dead. And it's not a partial weakness, it was a spiritual lifelessness that was being covered up by being active. They, the people at Sardis, here, the church at Sardis, they were functioning, they were moving, they were doing all these things, but there was no spiritual life in them. Now, probably right now, you're probably thinking of some ministries or churches that you know that way. It is astounding that when we go through all these letters to the churches, how many similarities we can find even in our day and time. But in this, it also is a lesson that I don't want us to overlook because it's so easy to think, oh, I see that they're the problem, and we overlook our problems. There is an understanding that your spiritual life, you can be in all the conferences, you can be in all the church services, you can download everything that you can possibly imagine. But if you don't privately cultivate that and devote that time into the Lord, it's just pretend. And sadly, it is clearly what Jesus calls hypocrites. And that's not a term of endearment in him saying you're a good actor. You get the Oscar. Jesus confronts you are dead. There's no spiritual sensitivity, there's no active resistance. If people are have that sinful nature and you're spiritually dead, you're not going to counter anything that would bring compromise. And so, because of this, there's no actual true life. So, a dead church does not struggle. So, how does a dead church grow? They don't struggle. Life seems to be smooth. They don't contend. In other words, we don't really have to war, we don't have to pray, we just gotta show up and know that we're awesome. And a dead church doesn't impact darkness. Okay, let me say it this way Life can be pretty decent if you're never a threat to the enemy. But life will often get challenging the moment you're on the radar of the enemy. And when you're on that radar, so many people say, I can't do this, I'm done, I'm out. And they would rather be a part of a dead church than a small army that is alive and thriving. Dead churches are attractive because they become comfortable, they're passive, they're ineffective in every area of life, right? Revelation 2, uh verse 2, chapter 3, verse 2. Wake up and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die, for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of my God. Remember therefore what you have received and heard, and keep it and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. All right. Jesus is giving some clear instructions right here. Wake up right out of the gate, be watchful. He actually, there is a uh uh a shining moment of hope when he says, strengthen what remains. In other words, you're not too far gone. Strengthen what remains there. Remember what you have received. Hold fast to that that you have, and of course, repent. So there's a couple of things. The reality of all these things here is though they were classified dead, they weren't beyond resurrection. They weren't beyond redemption, they weren't beyond restoration. There still was hope. And let me say this for I do need to catch this rabbit right here, because this is important. This gives us a clear understanding of the heart of the Father, the heart of Jesus, and the heart of Holy Spirit. And it is this right here. Anybody that would give you a prophetic word that does not have any hope, it did not come from the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. There is always hope attached to the prophetic. Even the ones that bring correction, even the ones that says that it is a warning, there is a plan of redemption. There is a hope. God is the redeemer. And so, even in this, even though Sardis is told you are dead, and I don't know how you can be more dead than dead, but there's hope in this. And that's what's so beautiful in this. It's not that Jesus is so angry at these churches that he's washing his hands and saying, I'm done with you. He's calling this out because he recognizes I'm not throwing you away. I need you to wake up. I need you to repent. I need you to be strengthened because this is going to be a good thing. So let's talk about that. Be watchful just for a second. Be watchful literally translates into keep awake or wake up. King James, old King James said, be watchful. New American Standard said, wake up. So we understand that word there. Sardis had a history of falling because it simply failed to watch. So understand this. Remember gatekeepers and watchmen? Remember the understanding of that? Watchmen were the purpose of the watchman was to know whether or not the king was coming or the enemy was coming. If the king was coming, the watchman told the gatekeeper, open up the gate that the king may come in. But if an enemy was coming, close the gates, close the gates. We got to fight against this. Sardis in that region, in that territory, had an identity spiritually of not warning anybody because they simply weren't watching for what was happening. There is also probably some overconfidence in this. In the terms like, well, what do we have to worry about? We got it covered. We're awesome. We're great. Probably some neglect, just apathy and laziness. You know, we, even as people today, we have this tendency. If it doesn't affect us, we don't ask questions and we don't pray for people. We don't look. We don't, you know, there's just sayings, if it doesn't impact my world, why should I care that it impacts yours? That's a lot of people's mentality. It's not my mentality for the record, okay? I'm just saying that's other people. So Jesus warns if they do not watch, what's going to happen? He's going to come like a thief. That's an interesting language there. Because this spiritual decline often begins when the ability to be vigilant has been replaced with, let's just be comfortable. What you and I fail to guard, we'll eventually fall in love with. Now here's what I mean. If you're married, for example, and you start having your mind go about this guy or this woman, and your mind starts playing along with that, and you don't guard those thoughts, the scripture's clear, take captive every thought. And if you don't guard those thoughts, what's eventually going to happen? You're going to fall in love with the idea, and then you're going to fall in love with the person, and then you're going to fall in love with let's get it done. It just doesn't happen because we just wake up, it happens because we let our guards down. Verse 4. But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments and they walk with me in white, for they are worthy. And if you wonder what that means, it means exactly what you think it means. We're not talking about they got some dirt or they spilled wine on their garments. Soiled here means exactly what you think it means. There were a few people in Sardis who remained pure. A few that had not defiled themselves. This is a reminder that God always has a remnant. God always has a remnant. Remain faithful unto the Lord. So their promise, walk with Jesus, and you'll be clothed in white. This is what it says. Verse 5. He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. So here's the overcomer. They walk in purity, they remain spiritually alive. We see that, right? Their reward, they're going to be clothed in white garments. Their name is secured in the book of life. And they're confessed before the Father. So three things. They're clothed in white garments. Their name is secured in the book of life. And confessed before the Father. Now, I know that a minute that we mention the book of life, there may be somebody that says, is this the book of life, like our life from the day that we're conceived to the day we die? Or is this the Lamb's book of life? And there is, unfortunately, still a lot of debate on this. You have theologians that believe this is just the book of life. You have theologians that believe that it is the Lamb's book of life. And then you actually have theologians believe that it's actually talking about both those books in this initial passage. So here's the answer. I don't know. Here's what I know. Make sure your name's in the book of life. That's what I know. Okay? And I'm not talking about the book that is already there because you're breathing. I'm talking about the one that when you receive Jesus Christ, you're born again and your life is transformed. That's the one I'm talking about. Okay? So just make sure theologians can argue and all these people debate and everything, and there's three different arguments to this. So let's look at it though, so we have a little bit of an understanding. What is this book of life? Well, we know that the book of life represents God's record of people that belong to Him, right? We understand that. We understand that there is a um trying to think of the word. Documentation, I'm gonna go with that. Documentation of the names that have eternal life. You're documented, right? Got your paper, stamped, born again, covered in the blood. And there's that confirmation of citizenship in heaven. Here's the thing that gets interesting. In the ancient world, cities would keep a regist register of their citizens. So when someone died or they lost status in the region, their name could actually be removed from that. Same thing that we have today. Except in some areas, they use your name to continue voting for the next 80 years. So Jesus is giving this right here a little bit of an energy, a type and a shadow, but it's also a very real thing. But he's using something to illustrate what they would know about. So they would understand that locally I'm on this registered list, and if something happens to me, my name can be removed. So Jesus is using a real natural world thing to articulate a very real spiritual application. Everybody see that there? So in this, we also see that spiritual identity. We see the security of the relationship with him. We do have to ask, what does it actually mean not to have our name removed or blotted out according to what translation you got? It is something that we should not fear. I have talked with people over the years when they throw the verse out that your name can be blotted out of the book of life. People use that as a fear tactic. And let me tell you something. It's a wrong way to look at it. It should not be a fear tactic, it should be a reminder and an assurance that as an overcomer, your name's not going to be blotted out. So don't go down the fear tactic road of that. Jesus is not actively just looking to remove people's names. Now I know there's people that preach that and teach that, but he's not sitting up there with a clipboard and he's looking for you to breathe the wrong way. That's not what this is about. This is about those who overcome are secure in him. We cannot ever lose sight of the fact that Paul said, nothing can take you out of the hand of God. That's so important. But I know. Oh, fear tactics, boy, that sales. If we'll quit buying it, they'll quit producing it. There is a promise. That eternal belonging. And then when we strictly look at this at Sardis, I do want to remind us, Sardis had this reputation of being alive. They would historically, historians say that they were considered very impressive to other people. They've got their act together. They've got, man, their church is on fire. They're going and blowing and, you know, and all this type stuff. But Jesus is giving them the understanding that is your name written in heaven. Because the reality is in this life, we've gotten very good at faking church and faking Christianity. But if we just cross over spiritually speaking, we're not faking anybody. And that's what Jesus is calling out here. But he's not calling it out to condemn, he's calling it out to get them to repent and come back. So people can be admired, people can be, you know, recognized, they can have all these things. But is there a confession in us to where we would say, I will confess the name of the Lord? I will confess Jesus. I will confess. This is very important. But I also want to say that when we read this, we understand this. Public acknowledgement in this world, it may gain status among one another. But when you truly publicly take a stand for Jesus, when you truly take a stand, heaven pays attention. When Stephen is being stoned to death, we get the understanding that the heavens opened up, and what did Jesus do? Stood up. He's acknowledging that. There are things that heaven does acknowledge, according to Scripture. Heaven acknowledges every single time someone is born again. There is the biggest party in heaven that we could possibly ever imagine every time somebody's born again. And the Bible clearly tells us that heaven acknowledges when we confess Him. When we acknowledge the relationship. Again, here's why this is so important. It's not because you showed up to church. It's not because you are part of a life group or a Sunday school group. It's not because you are part of a praise team or a choir. It's because you have a covenant in relationship through being born again. Your covenant identity gives you the identity that you need, not just for this earth, not just for this world, but for eternity. They're trying to do everything they can to get a platform. I mean everything. And I had my picture with this general, and I did this with this general, and I did this, and I did this, and I did this, and I did this. The scripture says your reward is that. That's all it is. I can't state enough. Your name may be famous in this world, but its greatest recognition is in the book of life. Specifically the Lamb's Book of Life. But again, we're not 100% sure on this. So the Lamb's Book of Life. Let me highlight this really quickly. The Lamb's Book of Life, it does belong to Jesus Christ. Every name written in it is because they were truly born again. We do know historically, I mean scripturally, not historically, scripturally, there is that book of life. That's everything in our life, from the day of conception to the day we take our last breath on this earth. But the Lamb's book of life, this is those that are in Christ. This specifically is the body of Christ. I say it this way. A lot of times people think, for example, that John the Baptist, I love asking this question when I go places a lot of times. I say, did John the Baptist die as an Old Testament prophet or a New Testament prophet? Because people love to play that game. So I'll play alone for a moment. Most people will say New Testament because they see him dying in the New Testament. But he died on this side of the cross. So he died under the law. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, everything begins to change because Jesus went into Abraham's bosom, known as paradise, to set those captives free. And when those captives are set free, everyone after the resurrection, we are in Christ. So the bride, the body of Christ, that's what this is about when we talk about the Lamb's book of life. So in this, again, we see that terminology, Lamb. We're going to see this in Revelation. We're going to understand that he is the Lamb of God. And some people they kind of get confused, but we'll get that eventually and we'll dive into that. Again, you know, if you see this as an opportunity to try to produce fear, you're totally missing the purpose of this entire aspect of this within this chapter right here. The emphasis is on the sovereignty of God and salvation in Christ. That's what it is about. Verse 6. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Here it is again. It follows every single one. This warning is not for a church. This warning is for all of those churches, which forms one church. Right? So we understand where we're at right there. All right. Verse 7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, right? He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who sh who shuts and no one will open, say this. Alright, stop. Hang on. Can I get that second picture, Pastor Steve? Up. I forgot to put this back up as a reminder. Sardis. Remember the understanding here? The meaning of the name, escaping or remaining. Complaint is dead works. Compliment, a few are not defiled, but the reward is white, remnant, and a book of life. Now, I I needed this back up because this helped me remember something right here. In this, um, that white garment, why is that so important? Do you remember the passage of Scripture that Jesus talks about the wedding invitation? And the people were invited to go to the wedding, but some were turned away because of what? They didn't have the right garment. Again, this language didn't shock John. John was there when that is said. John would have known this is exactly what he described to us when he was with us. So it's not something that John would have written and gone, oh my gosh, I can't believe this. And am I wearing the right? You know, because sometimes I joke. A lot of times I joke. But sometimes, you know, the Bible says a gown of salvation or a robe of righteousness. And I will say I'm doing everything possible to get a robe because I won't look good in a gown. You know, but there is something about that robe too, because I don't look at it as a bathrobe, I look at it as a king's robe. You know, like in Isaiah, when the train of his garment filled the temple and it signified all the victories. What if, and I don't know, but what if the robe of righteousness has all the victories that you overcome because of the blood of Jesus Christ? I'm just saying, what if? You know what I'm saying? How crazy would that be? That'd be awesome. Okay. So Jesus reveals his holiness, his truth. We're here at Philadelphia. Interesting thing is he holds the key of David and the authority to open and close. Jesus alone controls the access, the opportunity, and the authority. Now, we got to remember what backs this up. The scripture also says there is no other way to the Father except through the Son Jesus Christ. This is why, again, it is important to know what revelation is saying because so much of it is revealing what has already been spoken. Okay? So the phrase the key of David, it does represent authority, specifically royal authority over access, rule, and the kingdom of God. So who holds the key? Jesus, right? This specifically comes from Isaiah chapter 22, verse 22. Isaiah 22 and 22 says, Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, and when he opens, no one will shut. When he shuts, no one will open. This is wild. The key. The key is symbolizing something here. It's symbolizing the authority over the royal household. Now, this is language, again, that we should be picking up because you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. Now, some may say, how can the two be? Because when we look in the Old Testament, priests typically weren't kings, and kings typically weren't priests. But there was one king who also did priestly things by the name of, oh, what was his name? David. When David brings the Ark of the Covenant back, the first time he tries to do it as a king and it cost somebody's life. The second time he understood what he was supposed to do, how he's supposed to do it, and the scripture says that David took six steps and sacrificed and shed the blood. He took six steps and he sacrificed and he shed the blood all the way into Jerusalem. And right before he gets in Jerusalem, he takes off his kingly garments and he does not dance naked. He dances with the ephod of a priest underneath him because he enters into Jerusalem with the presence of God saying, There is no king but King Jesus, and I am a priest that is ushering in the presence that he might dwell among us. That's part of this that even Jesus is saying, that key of David. That's what we're talking about. He is the access. He opens it up. No man can shut it. Has anybody been done wrong by man? We're breathing, right? We've been done wrong. There are things in our lives that Jesus will open up for you, and man will try to do everything it can to shut it down. And Jesus is like, nope. That's awesome. The one holding the key is that access. Ah, to know that we have access to him. And he had the power, again, to close and open. That's authority. So Jesus is applying this to himself, and he holds this, and it's the fulfillment even of a messianic promise, by the way. So he's not just from the lineage of David. He's talking about how that lineage established the kingship of it. He's showing that he is in control. He says, who can enter? He says if the door can be opened, he says that the door can be closed. Now, where would this apply in our lives, though? Does it strictly apply to Philadelphia? Well, yeah, it's applying here because this is the letter to the church of Philadelphia, right? But when we look at this, we can also see that in any area of ministry it's going to apply. In any area of calling or purpose, any area of your life. You don't have to be a five-fold minister for this not to be part of your DNA within this. You can be a plumber, you can be a construction worker, you can be a lawyer, a judge, all those things, and it still applies in this same manner. But we have to remember that this is not just symbolic. This is not Jesus describing something and going, oh, look, this is what it's going to be, and this is great, and this is, and y'all should oo in on all this at me. He's also revealing it so that we understand exactly who he is in that power, in that control, and in that authority. So, verse 8. I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power and have kept my word and have not denied my name. So Philadelphia didn't have much strength. They had a little strength, but they kept his word. And they did not deny his name. On the outside, Philadelphia wasn't that impressive, historically speaking. But on the inside, spiritually speaking, they were known to be faithful. They were known to be dependable. And the biggest thing, they were in alignment. Not simply with a worldly system, not with a culture, not with a society, but they were in alignment with heaven. Now the cool thing about this is Jesus specifically tells them, I've set before you an open door. Wow. To know that they had opportunities unlimited. That they had access unlimited. And that they, whatever they did, they could truly advance for the sake of the kingdom. It is true, you've heard this a couple times already tonight, and you've heard other people. God opens doors that no man can shut. But we have to be the one who chooses to walk through them. And this is what I mean. I genuinely believe with all my heart that there are doors that are being opened for you. But if you don't walk through them, you just stand before an open door, and we have this tendency to go, why me, Lord? There are open access that we have to walk through. We have to walk through. He's not going to shove us through. We have to walk through it. We have to take those steps. We have to take that direction. But the great thing about it is we didn't have to knock, we didn't have to push, and we didn't have to pull. It was made open. Verse 9. And behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are the Jews, are Jews and are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet and know that I have loved you. Verse 10, because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell upon the earth. So here Jesus is prominent that vindication is going to be before opposition. And the greatest thing is even in the testing, there's going to be protection. But let's be honest, if we could live the rest of our lives without going through another test, we'd sign up tonight. So these are one of those things that we have to constantly remind us of. And then I know if you're like me, there are some times I'm crying out, God, I didn't sign up for this test. I got voluntoled, you know? And it was Jesus that voluntoled me. And Holy Spirit titled on me. And Father, would you quit offering up my name? Y'all have prayers like that. It does show, though, there's that faithfulness, and faithfulness does not go unnoticed. I have to remind myself this. And I want to remind you. Mankind may not recognize your faithfulness unto God, but God never denies it. He knows your faithfulness. And the greater thing is that endurance, it is rewarded. Now, I'll try to come back to verse 10 at the end of this thing because I do want to highlight something that's known about verse 10, but let's move forward. Verse 11. I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have in order that no one take your crown. Hold fast. It's crazy that you're telling faithful people to do what? Remain faithful. Hold on to what you have. Stay consistent. Protect what God has given you. And I know it sounds strange, but the truth is there are things that we must guard. We have to. Verse 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will not go out from anywhere, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of my city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God and my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. So here's the crazy thing the overcomer becomes a pillar. That's what it says. Becomes a pillar, and it is established permanently. Part of that reward, stability, identity, and belonging. A pillar though, if we can imagine it for a minute, it would represent strength, stability, and endurance. That's what you know. Please know I'm not saying that once you cross over to heaven, all of a sudden your spirit's going to transform into marble and you're going to come. That's not what I'm talking about. But we're talking about what he's saying, that you will be as a pillar. Not the thing you sleep on. That's pillow. I know in the south we like to say pillar. That's not right. Verse 14, we come into Laodicea, but let's look at Philadelphia. We get the time frame, we get the brotherly love, the meaning of the name, the complaint, a little bit of strength. Just a little strength. That's the complaint. That's it. The compliment, keep Christ's word, not denied him, and the promise kept from the hour of trial or hour of temptation, pillar in the temple, in the name of God. Verse 14. And to the angel of the church in the Laodicea, right, the amen, the faithful, and the true witness. The beginning of creation of God says this. Uh-oh, it's coming. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. We've heard it all before. I know. I just want to give you a little background of this. We understand because you're not hot, you're not cold, the Lord is saying, I want to spit you out, right? I want to give you a little background. Remember, Jesus is known to use natural elements of things to describe something spiritually speaking. And this is one of those things. In this region, can I go back to Turkey just for a second? Okay, in this region. And you see where Laodicea is. Okay? And you see down there, you see Greece and all that. Then you see these islands, and you get all that. In this area, the Roman Empire had established a very strong input. And in this time frame, one of the things that was happening where Laodicea was, the Romans had figured out how to get cold water and hot water into homes. This is historically a fact. Okay? And the way they did it was where Laodicea is, there's a mountain range in this area. And so they tapped into the mountain range where the water is, and they built gigantic troughs all the way into the city and into the homes, and they have these waters dispersing on these homes. And the thought was that because it's cold on the mountain, by the time it comes into the town, it'll still be cold. And then they were doing a similar thing with the water being hot from where it was coming from, where the earth was like a hot spring. I couldn't get the word in my mouth. Hot spring, they will put the water and shuffle it down to town. Here's the problem. By the time the water got to town, whether it was hot or whether it's cold, it was neither. And it was lukewarm. And the people in the region were overwhelmingly rejecting it because the water was neither cold or hot. And that region was known where they would spit out the water because it was lukewarm. And here is Jesus telling this region what has happened in the natural. But I want to give us a little bit of hope in this if I can. I had a parent years ago come to me and they would please pray. Please pray that my son will come back. You know, I think they were an addict, I can't remember exactly, but they said this. The mom said this, and she said, He is so cold towards the Lord. And I'm be honest with you, I probably should have reacted a little different. I should have responded better. But when she said he's so cold, I went, Praise God! And she just looked at me like you've lost your mind. And I looked at her and I said, He's not hot, he's not cold, he's not lukewarm, he's neither hot nor cold. Cold, he's not lukewarm. Do we understand? Cold, there is hope. He's not lukewarm, he's cold, there's hope, there's hope in this. If he's that cold, God has not spit him out. There's hope in this. So I say that because I want to be encouraged. If you're praying for a prodigal and they are so cold, keep praying that the prodigal will come home because they're not lukewarm. The most difficult person to pray in are those who think they are okay and they're nothing more but religious zealots. Lukewarm. So, a couple of things. What does this mean? Lukewarmness, warmness is not a total rejection of Jesus. I love Jesus. Yeah. You know, you see these shirts, Jesus is my homeboy. I I've officially entered in my old man Footy Dud stage. I despise that shirt with every ounce of my being. I I cannot, and I know, and I'm not damning anybody or condemning anybody. I'm saying for me personally, it's like, no, Jesus ain't your homeboy. He's your king, he's your savior, and he is Lord. And if he's your homeboy, you haven't got a true revelation of who he is. And so I grieve over that. I'm not condemning, but I'm saying I ain't wearing that shirt. And I ain't looking to fist bump him and say, yo. Lukewarmness is a mixture. It's middle ground. It's saying, like, what's the big deal? Who am I to deny someone to love someone? What's the big deal? That person didn't want that pregnancy. It was going to ruin their life. What's the big deal? But it's also a false sense of security. I'm okay. Everything's good. Lukewarmness creates spiritual uselessness. And deception and a lack of urgency. Verse 17. Because you say I am rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. That's a shock to the heart. They believe that they were rich. They believe that they needed nothing. And Jesus clearly says, You're wretched, you're miserable, you're poor, poor in in the wrong way, blind, naked. Man, what a list. Just out of curiosity, does it remind you of anyone in the Bible that was out of their mind, without clothes, running wild? Okay. Can I I want to say it this way? The danger is not spiritual lack. I believe the danger is not being able to recognize you are lacking. I think that's more dangerous. Again, that's my opinion, you don't have to agree with it, but that's it. Verse 18. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich in white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and I salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with me. Jesus calls them to receive true riches that are from him. He calls them to receive the righteousness of Christ. You can say that Laodicea were more enamored in their own righteousness. Now listen, our righteousness is as filthy rags. However, as sons and daughters of God, righteousness is in you. But it's not your righteousness, it's the righteousness of Christ that is in you. And because the righteousness of Christ is in you, that's what makes you worthy. Jesus calls them to receive spiritual sight, and then he declares, I'm at the door knocking. It's hard to imagine, but you've all seen the paintings and the pictures of Jesus knocking at the door, you know, outside, seeking entry, wanting to be invited in for that fellowship. Now the interesting thing is what would happen in that fellowship, right? Well, there was a man in a tree one time, and Jesus was walking by. And what unnerves me right now in this generation is, and I'm not pointing fingers at any parent, okay? I just I notice things culturally. And culturally, I I know, like when I was raised, every night my parents told me they loved me after I got whipped. And uh y'all didn't get whipped every night? Just joking. Um we have a generation now that the the big thing is just talk. There's not really much discipline. I'm not for beating kids. Don't misunderstand me when I'm saying that. But I am for discipline. I am for learning the consequences of things. And but we're we're we're in this this time frame that I'm watching parents, like our youngest son played baseball, you know, and I watch parents getting down at the level of their kids and trying to go, tell me what your emotions are right now. Let's talk about it. And let's see how you feel on that. You know, they're trying to commute that that way. And here's what I'm saying. When that child grows up and they're truly disciplined in a world by working for a job or joining the military or having any kind of life where there's consequences, they're totally shocked and they reject it because everybody's picking on them. That has crept into the church. And when church discipline is necessary, people are like, you're not fair, I'm going somewhere else. This cycle is here, but Jesus clearly is saying, I'm doing this not to punish you, not to condemn you, not to ridicule you. I'm doing this because I love you. And it doesn't feel like love when you're the one being disciplined. I get it. I hated when my dad said, This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you. One time I told my dad, well, let me try it on you. Note to self. That does not work. That doubles the consequences. I was only getting five licks, I earned an automatic five-point bonus. For what reason? My smart mouth. Verse 21. He who overcomes, I will grant to him and sat down with me on my throne. As I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The overcomer turns from lukewarmness. The overcomer restores that zeal. That relationship is restored and renewed. But do you get this? Jesus says, You will sit down on thrones beside me as I overcame and did with my Father. Can I tell you this? That's not a hoping term of endearment. That is a write it in blood, red promise, guarantee that those who are in Christ will rule and reign with rods of iron and set on thrones when he takes his place on the throne of David. This is what is so powerful about this. Now, as we can see in this, we we see all these things kind of again, types and shadows, similarities that will cause us to see the things that we see in our modern world right now. And we can look at some of these churches and go, man, that feels like right now. It feels exactly right now. And a lot of people, you hear people say that, especially the church in America, it's like a modern-day Laodicea. You'll hear that. And I'm not saying that's wrong, and I'm not saying that's right. I believe that there this can be a type and shadow to see the similarities. My only thing is I would say that much of Christianity today is not just Laodicea. It's a lot of them. There's issues across the board. If I can get the seven churches letters back again, sorry, thank you. Laodicea. Judging of the people are the just people, complaint, lukewarm experience, spiritually poor, blind and naked. Their compliment, none. That's deeply disturbing. But if they overcome, they sit with Christ on his throne and they sup with Christ. So much of what Laodicea says, it feels like this hype and shadow. Now, I'm saying that to say, in Revelation 3, 10, we're going to go back, and there's I I want to be clear about something. Then we're going to move through this and get to Q ⁇ A. But I want to be very clear about something here. Um I'm not trying to convince anyone of any eschatology, but I did tell you that as we go through this, when we hit a point that eschatological point of view is acknowledged, I'm going to bring that out. And the reason I'm not trying to convince you of eschatology right now is because later in the year, we're going to go down eschatology. But right now, I want to stay focused on the revelation of Jesus Christ. But again, I do need to highlight something. So in Revelation 3, verse 10, because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, the hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell upon the earth. Those that believe or teach whatever, a pre-tribe rapture, one of the key verses that they begin is right here in chapter 3, verse 10. Okay? So I wanted to break this down the best I could. I did not print this out because there's just a lot of colors on it, and I didn't want to use that much stuff. So let's go to this picture here. Okay, let's break this verse down. Right here, and I put King James here just so that I made it legal. I also, come on, I thought that was more funnier than that. There we go, Gary. I will also keep thee from the hour of temptation, right? Everybody sees that. Which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. So here's where they begin the basis of a pre-trib rapture. Now, as we go on through this course, you're going to see a lot more raptures. You're going to see them, and we'll get through that, and we'll talk about every one of them. But I'm giving you the basis of where pre-trib, the theology, the ideology, the understanding, the study, it begins right here. So, where they get this is parismas is trial testing, not just enticement to sin. That is the Greek definition of the hour of temptation. Okay? It means trial test. It's also found to be used in 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 12. Now, the hour of tribulation is temptation is considered in this eschatological view to be the tribulation period. Because of that, they connect the global scope. Remember Daniel. We went through the entire book of Daniel. Fits, this time frame fits Daniel's 70th week and Matthew 24, verse 21. Then we see the terminology it's used, and I put it here on purpose because I'm going to address something. The church escapes from it, not through it. That is a pre-trib. Everybody understand that. That's the understanding. I'm going to hammer on the word escape just a second. Protection is promised, a promise to believers under God's wrath. So the conclusion that people come, that theologians and those that study eschatology, the hour of temptation, Daniel's 70th week, the tribulation period, seven years, three and a half, three and a half. Jesus promises the church to escape from it, not survival through it. This is from that verse. Even though we see that this is not Church of America or Church of the world right now, this was a letter to a specific church, right? It is used in a manner in which is speaking for because of the language that is used specifically in the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world. For those that would believe in pre-tribe rapture, what they're saying is that terminology is saying to that church, that's not happened yet. But there is coming an hour where the whole world will be impacted by it. So that's where they're building this off of. And we see that. Now, it had been taught widely that the church escapes it. And this is where you hear people come up with the ideology or the phrase escapism. And uh all Christians care about is escapism. Escapism, escapism, escapism. Let me let me just say this really, really quickly on this, and then I promise QA. If you use any aspect of revelation to live a life that would merit you to escape anything, you're missing the point of it all. It's not about escaping, it's about the revelation of Jesus Christ. And if we look at this, there is a bigger picture that we're gonna get to eventually, but I'll just give you a little nugget. Who is the bride of Christ? We are. Who is the bride of God? Israel. Israel is the bride of God. And what I want you to know something is one of the problems that we have as Americans is we put our American Christianity in every passage of scripture and thinks it's about us. And I want to tell you, you're gonna be shocked. It doesn't involve you as much as you think that it does because it's about God getting back those that he had a covenant with. And that's a big thing that we got to remember going forward. Now, again, we'll get on eschatological views, but I got when we go next week, I got to bring out another point. But this is something that we'll get there. I'll get on the pre- uh pre-preaterists and full preterists and kingdom dominionism. I'll highlight those things when I come to a scripture. But this, you kind of get the understanding where they're going. My gripe, this is my gripe, my gripe is for anyone if they're pre-trib rapture and they use it as a way of escaping things. I don't like that language. I'm not a fan of it. I'm more of a fan that if this is to be, that God protected us, but we really didn't escape anything. Because escapism, escapism, the idea of escapism, I think builds spiritual laziness. I don't really have to do anything. It doesn't matter. In the end, God's just gonna, he's gonna whoop, everything's gonna be okay. I know people right now that are in their 80s, that have no 401k, no savings, and they're broke because they believe that they were gonna be raptured in 1981. And they didn't prepare. I know people right now, right now, that ran up several credit cards because they thought the rapture was gonna happen in 2022. And their mentality was doesn't matter, Jesus is coming. Not my debt, I ain't gotta pay for it. Well, it's 2026. They're paying for it. This is my point. It's it you cannot take this idea of, well, it doesn't matter, we're just gonna escape. It's bigger than that, and I want us to see that. Any questions?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:03

Alright, we meet again. We meet again. My question is regarding to the church of Sardis. Did I say that right? Sardis. Sardis, there we go. Yep. I'm gonna break it down into three parts, okay? You got the people that did not let me make sure I say this right. The people who did not swell their clothes, okay? That's one part. And we got the people who overcome. There's my second part. And then obviously there's everybody else. So, okay, so here's the question. I think it's important that we identify what that means so we don't there's nothing more important than where our spirit is gonna spend eternity at, right? So could you do me a favor? Is there any way you could break down to me an example of to me the people that didn't swell their garment are people possibly like Job, blameless? Is it people that didn't sin? Is that is that a thing? Because I thought we were all sinners. Just give me an example of what you think that might have meant. Okay? Give me an example, if you can, of the people that overcame. Yeah. What did they do to label them as that person that overcame? And then everybody else. Give me an example of what they're not doing to where they didn't qualify as people that overcame. Because remember, this is this is addressed to all quote unquote air quote believers. Right. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:16

Yeah, I get you on that. Um, first of all, the scripture clearly says anyone that says they have no sin is a liar. That's first of all. So let me just go ahead and clarify this. Even though I know ministers that can teach that you can live a life without sin, they're liars. You can't. And and and the reason you can live a holy life, trust me, you can live a holy life. But we live in a fallen world. And it's very easy for first and foremost our minds just to go off into something. And if we're not cultivating that presence, sometimes we can let our thoughts get away before we capture them. Um, sometimes just simple things that we say, simple things that we watch, we can allow permissive things to come across the TV and we permit it to be okay because it's entertaining. Um sometimes the way we treat people, we're we're going, and I know when we say, well, I don't big sin. We got to get out of the idea of big sin, little sin. Okay? You got to get past that. Sin, according to the Bible, is a is, yes, missing the mark, but it is doing something intentionally that separates you from God. Because he hates sin. And the scripture also says the wages of sin is death. Okay, so it's not that Sardis was sinless, but it was that Sardis, an old school saying, did learn how to sinless. In other words, they were never perfect without any sin in their life. They lived a life of faithfulness and holy devotion that caused them to be in a cultivated covenant relationship where sin was not something that constantly they were battling because of their faithfulness. So when it says that their garments were white, it's not because they had no sin. That's not what it is whatsoever. Because the truth is, when we step into eternity, we're gonna have some stuff to answer for, right? Here's the good news. Under the blood of Jesus, right? We understand that. But in this time frame, the question in theologians of the debate, what's this time frame when this letter is sent? Well, if you look at this and Paul's going there, it's still under those who are in Christ. All these letters that went to the churches would have gone Paul's missionary journey and John's journey in this area, that's where all that was going on in there all that time. Now, yes, they had a longer history because we can look at the dates and see the dates and see that longer history. But it's not about them being perfect. Perfection is never the goal. If you try to be perfect, you will fail. And you'll fail angry and mad at everybody. So you can't you there is no such thing as living the perfect life without sin. You'll get angry, you'll get mad, you'll have hatred, sometimes bitterness. The one that that unnerves me more than anybody is unforgiveness, because the scripture says that he that does not forgive man, God will not forgive him. That's a verse that unnerves me on so many levels. So that's on that side of it. To soil their garments, what Jesus is specifically saying right here is they allowed compromise to come into their devotion unto a holy Lord. And they were allowing things in a worldly system to come in and mark them. And the scary thing is the reason that Jesus said it was soiled and they were walking around in it is because you defined it to be good when it wasn't. And here's the reason. Not trying to gross anybody out. We eat food and our bodies naturally eventually digest the food and expels the food, right? And we got we don't walk around in that because that's not what we're supposed to do, right? But what Jesus is describing here is when they were eating the compromise and they soiled their garments, when they exposed that and and they soiled their garments, they called themselves in right standing as those that had pure white. Because they were wearing the same garment, but they had compromise in their life. So that's the aspect of that. And in Sordas as well, they uh again they weren't watching, they weren't being diligent, they weren't the the biggest thing was what? What did they say to Sordas in the beginning with? How did it start out? How did Revelation chapter 3 start out? When he told them they they they appeared to be alive, but they were dead. So what was the call? Wake up. Wake up. They were asleep. Let's put it this way they were asleep on the job. So it's like it's like people that go to church. They go to church, they say amen. They sing some of the songs. You see them walking, talking, and moving, but they are spiritually dead. Well, how do we know they're spiritually dead? It doesn't bother them when adultery is committed. It doesn't bother them when a child is murdered, it doesn't bother them when somebody abuses somebody. It doesn't bother them when you're not grieved by the things in which God clearly calls detestable an abomination. When you when you say things like, uh, uh, it's just a little white light, ain't gonna matter. When the scripture says God hates liars, and can I tell you really quickly what the word hate means? Hate. Detest. It's detest. That's the actual word. He detests those things. Those things physically make him sick. Does that make sense? Awesome. Any other questions? Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:36

My question is concerning um Revelation 3.1. What are the seven spirits of God and the seven stars?

SPEAKER_00 1:13:44

Okay. He asked that the first time. We're gonna dive into this next week. Yeah, I know. Um we're gonna dive into this next week. Um, and I know. We're because I we're gonna break this down a little bit and go into the depth into it in the in this. I'll give you a hint though. Are you ready? Jesus. And that's a really good hint. It's a really good hint. Hold on just a second, we've got to get a microphone to you here. And I promise we're getting to that next week. Revelation 4.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:18

I've already studied it out to help you. Isaiah chapter 11. The first few verses tell you what the seven spirits of God are.

unknown 1:14:27

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:30

Don't give away my secrets, David.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:36

Ryan, I never had this thought or question until I saw the map that you just gave out last week. Um all these churches are basically in Asia Minor or present-day Turkey, correct? Why um um I was always now I'm curious, why wasn't there uh a letter maybe to the Church of Jerusalem or the church at Rome or the Church of Antioch? Why was it just these churches right here?

SPEAKER_00 1:15:05

Okay, first of all, I'm gonna say, I don't know. Okay. Second of all, I'm gonna say, in my opinion, I think it goes back to Paul. These are missionary journeys that Paul went on. These are territories and area that Paul went to. Remember, who is one of the early leaders in the church at Ephesus? Timothy. Paul. And I think it has more to do with the relationship that Paul established in that area and what it was to be, but that's just my two cents. Unfortunately, I can't a hundred percent say it is why.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:53

It's just my opinion, Pastor This, these letters were to the New Testament church, correct. The New Covenant.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:03

Correct.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:04

I think that's why it wasn't like to Jerusalem or whatever. It was it was a letter to the New Testament church, it was a letter to the church that Jesus was calling to purity and holiness. And when we get to the lukewarm church, Jesus said, I don't want a bride that is cold. And that scripture that says, I stand at the door and knock, that's not just knocking on the door of our heart. That is a picture of the ancient uh bride bridegroom coming and knocking on the door of the bride's home. When the father came and invited, when he said, Do you want to come in covenant with this groom? And she said, Yes, they brought him in. It was sealed over a meal. And what is our meal? Our meal is the covenant meal, the body and blood of the Lord Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:06

Yeah, that's one of the interesting things for for those that's being highlighted there, you may not know. In in that time, um, if a man was going to, you know, ask a girl to be his his bride, they would they would have the moment that he would go and he would actually barter with her father. He would have to pay the father something. I wish we'd bring that back. Oh, one son-in-law is gone. I don't know where he went. I'm just saying. But here's the thing. That son would then leave, even though they would have a celebration that they were quote unquote engaged, at that moment they were actually considered married. Because the covenant was sealed then. When the father said, I agree to this, covenant's made. Technically, they're married, but it's not consummated. Okay? The reason it's not consummated is the bridegroom, the man, would leave his bride to be, go back to his father's house, build an addition onto the father's house for him and his bride to live in. When he would get done building that, he would come back calling for the bride. So the parable of the ten virgins, that's what that's about. When Jesus illustrates, I go to my father's house and build, there are many mansions, and I go and build and I turn, that's what that's about. All that stuff is so connected to covenant, which is why we cannot lose the fact of God's covenant with Israel. It is so vital to understand where we're going with this. And covenant is a major deal, but that's exactly what that is. Now, saying that, you triggered a thought in my mind, Pastor, when you said that. You know, the command is go into all of Jerusalem, then where? Judea, then where? Samaria, and then where? The uttermost part of the world. It's interesting, as Pastor said, when she said that it triggered my thought, that the letter didn't begin where Jesus' ministry was. The letters went to where his name had gone to the uttermost point at that point in time. See that what I'm saying right there? This is why I think Paul plays a very vital role in this. You know, Paul, at one point he calls himself the chief apostle, right? So if you read the letters of Paul in chronological order, not Bible order, chronological order, Paul starts out calling himself the chief apostle. By the time he writes his very last one, he's the center among all sinners. Hit that title, didn't mean diddly squat by the time he got down here, because he recognized the relationship. I believe, this is this is stay with me just for a second. I believe that the part of this connection to Paul is that very thing that is also being addressed in every single one of these letters. What Paul was trying to do and get to that revelation to come to the end of himself, and it is about Christ. I find all that in these letters. And it is the impact. And yes, Peter did get close to this area. John's missionary did get over here. Barnabas at one time got close to here. Barnabas and Paul had a major fallout disagreement. I mean, it was major, major, major. And they separated, and that's where Silas comes in the picture. Paul and Silas are in the jail. Barnabas went on with John Mark, and he went over in this area. But we see the most work with the apostle Paul. And Paul's life demonstrates to that grafting in. When Paul writes in Ephesians about one new man, he understood that.