WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.040 You will be rich. 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:03.279 Good morning, Church of Grove. 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:09.119 We are so glad that you guys are hanging out with us this morning for service Sunday after Thanksgiving. 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:10.720 Did you eat a lot of food on Thanksgiving? 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:13.519 What is your favorite thing? 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:16.640 Alright. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:18.239 Well, my name is Cody. 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:19.839 My name is Washer. 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:23.280 And we are so glad that you're hanging out with us this week. 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:26.879 There's so much going on within the life of Church of the Groove. 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:31.839 So the best thing for you that you would need to do is to go download the Church of the Groove app. 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:38.560 It has everything that you need to stay engaged with what's going on, especially in this crazy busy time that's coming up. 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:41.600 Because what's coming up now that Thanksgiving's over with? 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:49.439 That's right, we got Christmas coming up, which means shop with the hero is gonna be coming up very soon. 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:53.439 All kinds of things going on, and so the best thing for you is to download the church to grow the app. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:01:00.560 If you do that, you can um take next steps, you can fill out an encounter card, you can give, you can download sermon notes. 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:06.879 We're about to jump into the sermon, so um, that's gonna be super helpful for you as we go about our Sunday this morning. 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:08.959 And so we're again so glad that you're here. 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:18.079 Um go ahead and share this with someone if you have if you have someone that uh that may you may be thinking uh that needs to hear um a word from the Lord this morning, so go ahead and share that. 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:23.040 Um it's so cool that we have technology where we can do that um uh and just do church like this. 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:24.000 This is really cool. 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:27.680 Um, but is there anything else that you want to say? 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:29.280 No, nothing else. 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:31.760 You ate a lot of turkey, didn't you? 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:34.959 And I I have a new paint stick. 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:36.480 We got a new paint stick, that's right. 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:38.319 We're painting what are what are you painting? 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:40.959 Um, a big, big gingerbread house. 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:43.359 A big gingerbread house, and that's right. 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:44.079 Cool. 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:57.920 Well, thank you guys so much for hanging out with us this morning, and we're about to jump into some worship, and then we're gonna hear uh a word from the Lord this morning, and so we hope that you had a great Thanksgiving, and we can't wait to see what God does through um our time together this morning in worshiping through the word. 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:00.400 So we'll see you guys on the other side. 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:21.200 Yes, sir. 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:26.799 It's great, great to be um in the house of the Lord with my family. 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:36.960 I hope you had a great um holiday uh celebration, and man, I'm I'm excited about uh being with our church family today. 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:40.559 I wanted to share a quote with you as we go into the message. 00:09:40.799 --> 00:10:12.720 The quote says this it is the duty of nations as well as men of men who owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scripture and proven by a history, that those nations are only or blessed whose God is their Lord. 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:28.240 This awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sin to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people. 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:40.879 We have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving Christ. 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:44.559 Too proud to pray to the God that made us. 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:50.240 We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has grown. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:58.639 But we have forgotten Abraham Lincoln April 30th. 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:06.240 He called the nation to a day of national humiliation. 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:53.120 We all have to come to grips with our sin and our shortcomings. 00:11:54.799 --> 00:12:03.279 And rather than like a special family at Thanksgiving, saying nothing about our problems, our bad habits, or our hang up. 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:11.120 We pretend that everything is okay, we just move on to the next casserole, we add a little sweet potato to the plate. 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:16.639 We eat and pretend that nothing has ever been wrong. 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:28.320 Maybe there's a sarcastic comment that's made referring to our issues, but at the end of the day we hug and we say goodbye and we go back to the way things are. 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:32.399 And we wait until Christmas when we can do it all over again. 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:35.120 Our churches can be the same way. 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:36.799 God's people can be the same way. 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:48.720 We have all kinds of problems that stem from sin and dysfunction, tradition, and many other issues that keep us from being the family of God that God wants us to be. 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:54.320 Loving God, loving one another, and loving a lost and broken world. 00:12:54.879 --> 00:13:11.840 So we've been in this series called Seven, and we looked at the short messages that Jesus gave to the seven churches in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:15.759 And so today is the final message. 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:21.360 We've looked at the message to the church at Ephesus, where he says, basically, hey, you're good. 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:22.799 You're a good fundamental church. 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:25.919 You got a good doctrine, but you've lost your first love. 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:30.559 Smyrna, he says, I know of your poverty and your tribulation. 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:34.799 Remain faithful and you will receive the crown of life. 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:49.120 Smyrna, he says, I know of your I'm sorry, Pergamum, he says, some of you have been faithful, but some have been given over to false teaching that leads to sexual sin. 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:54.240 Repent, and I'll bring provision to you and confirm your name in heaven. 00:13:54.799 --> 00:14:07.039 Diataira, he says, I know of your love and your faith and your service, but I also know that you have an unhealthy toleration of sin, and there is a spirit of Jezebel among you. 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:13.600 Those who conquer and keep my works will be given authority over the nations. 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:15.200 Repent, he says. 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:16.320 Turn back to me. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:22.240 Sardis, he says, I know your reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:24.799 Wake up. 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:27.519 Repent, is what he says to Sardis. 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:34.639 Those that repent, I will confess his name before the Father, Philadelphia last week. 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:47.200 He says, I know your works because you have kept my word, I will keep you from the hour of your current trial and the tribulation that's coming upon the whole world. 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:52.000 And so this final letter letter is to the church at Laodicea. 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:55.440 Church at Laodicea. 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:00.080 They really catch it between the eyes. 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:02.480 God lets them have it. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:06.399 He doesn't really have a lot of encouraging things to say. 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:14.080 Revelation 3.14, he says, write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:24.159 This is the message from the one who is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's new creation. 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:25.440 Who's he talking about here? 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:27.120 He's talking about Jesus. 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:30.720 Jesus back at the beginning of Revelation. 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:38.559 In Revelation 1, he says Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the one who was and is and is to come. 00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:40.720 Jesus has always been. 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:49.120 There's never been a time where Jesus wasn't a part of God's creation. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:54.000 As a matter of fact, he took part in God creating everything that we see. 00:15:55.039 --> 00:16:04.960 Certainly, this is a reference to John 1.3, the gospel of John, where he says God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:11.440 Verse 19, Jesus communicates his love for this city. 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:27.200 Even though this city, even though this church has completely assimilated the ungodly culture of Laodicea into the church. 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:32.080 Verse 19 says, I correct and discipline everyone I love. 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:36.240 So be diligent and turn from your indifference. 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:39.519 Be diligent and turn from your indifference. 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:43.919 Jesus knows the truth about this community of believers. 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:47.120 Yet he loves them at the same time. 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:59.840 He offers hope for a church that has become lukewarm in a way that it makes God want you to vomit. 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:06.400 Here's a few things I want us to highlight out of this message. 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:09.359 The first one is this a sickening indifference. 00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:10.960 A sickening indifference. 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:12.319 Look at verse 15. 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:13.839 Revelation 3. 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:16.400 Revelation 3, 15. 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:24.480 He says, I know all the things that you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:35.839 I wish that you were one or the other, but since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:42.799 And so Jesus here diagnoses the true spiritual condition of the church in Laodicea. 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:44.720 He's been watching their life. 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:47.839 He's been listening to their words. 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:57.359 He's been looking at their relationships, their attitudes, their prayer life, their appetites, their imaginations, their public life, their private life, the flow of their money. 00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:01.599 And he concludes, you're like lukewarm water. 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.039 Matter of fact, your life propulses me. 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:08.640 Your choice makes me want to gag and vomit. 00:18:09.599 --> 00:18:13.119 Your spiritual condition turns my stomach. 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:15.680 Could a loving Savior say this? 00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:20.480 Only a loving Savior would say this. 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:29.039 What does he mean? 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:33.119 I'm gonna tell you what I learned and I heard from this passage. 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:37.920 Probably for most of my ministry. 00:18:39.359 --> 00:19:02.240 As I heard people preach, as I heard pastors and leaders preach on this, the idea is it's a metaphor for, you know, perhaps he means that it would be better for someone to reject him outright, to be cold, than to pretend to love him in a lukewarm way. 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:08.000 But I think there's more to it than that. 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:11.200 And that's why we have to teach. 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:12.240 That's why we have to dig. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:24.640 Which is really dangerous for a community, a city. 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:48.640 And so what Laodicea, Laodicea, Laodicea, what they did is they built aqueduct from two cities that were fairly close to them. 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:56.000 The first one was from Colossae, probably about eleven miles to the east. 00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:08.880 They had a cold water spring that was so fresh and clear and pure and healthy to drink. 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:20.400 And so Laodicea has an aqueduct built all the way from Colasse to their city. 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:25.440 We need fresh, cold water to survive. 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:31.599 But there's another source of water, and it's from another city called Heropolis. 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:32.880 This is ancient days. 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:36.480 There are different names for these cities in modern-day Turkey. 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.440 Heropolis was six miles to the north. 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:48.960 Their water was hot, known to be sometimes as hot as ninety-five degrees. 00:20:49.759 --> 00:21:00.240 And in it, even to this day, in modern day, it is known for its mineral-rich, hot springs. 00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:05.359 In President Roosevelt. 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:15.440 Medicinal, a medicinal source of hot water to soothe aching pain. 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:20.720 And so they have this water piped in. 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:34.000 And the problem is when you when you bring in and pipe in water without any sophisticated systems that they would not have in antiquity. 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:47.519 You pipe in pure cold water over several miles, by the time it reaches your city, it has become wet. 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:51.839 Rather than cold, it has become warm. 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:59.599 You pipe in a mineral rich man, water that that is medicinal. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:13.680 It is good for you to soak in, but you pipe it in from several miles away by the time without all of our today's sophistication. 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:28.799 When it travels through an aqueduct, I don't care what the temperature it is when it was in Hieropolis, what is it the water going to be like when it reaches Laodicea? 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:40.880 You got two water sources that are that are absolutely serve a great purpose at their source. 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:51.599 But by the time they get to Laodicea, neither one of them meets the needs of the people. 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:57.519 And Jesus says, I know that your deed, I know your deeds. 00:22:58.319 --> 00:23:00.400 That you're neither cold nor hot. 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:05.839 You're not living in your purpose. 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:12.160 You're not living in the purity of your source. 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:23.440 So not only do we see a sickening indifference, we see a false security. 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:29.680 He says, first, you've got this sickening indifference. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:36.400 You're not hot, you're not cold, you don't have, you're not living in the purpose that God has for you. 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:41.519 And you make you make me so sick that I could vomit. 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:48.319 Some scholars say that this mineral-rich hot water had an emetic effect. 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:53.119 That when people would drink it, it would make them sick. 00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:55.839 And they would throw up and vomit. 00:23:56.400 --> 00:24:02.480 So not only do we see a sickening indifference, we see a false security. 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:03.759 False security. 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:05.279 Look at verse 17. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:19.440 You say, I am rich, I have everything I want, I don't need a thing, and you don't realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor, blind and naked. 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:25.039 Those are harsh words, aren't they? 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:38.640 The Laodiceans, they had assimilated into the culture of their city so much that they were not even identifiable as believers. 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:43.039 That's what lukewarm faith does. 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:55.119 And they had they had built their culture to be known as wealthy and self-sufficient. 00:24:56.240 --> 00:25:00.400 The city was it was built on a major Roman trade route. 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:15.440 And so it was a financial center rich with banks, filled with money, people who were living extremely well. 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:25.759 Laodicea was known for its financial strength, it was known for its medical advances, it was known for its linen and wool industry. 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:46.000 It was so wealthy that after an earthquake devastated the city in 60 AD, they were the only city in the area that did not reach out to Rome to ask for help in rebuilding their city. 00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:47.920 Hey, we've got it. 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:50.400 We can do it ourselves. 00:25:51.440 --> 00:26:09.599 So much so that Tacitus, a Roman writer of history, he writes in his annals, Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources and with no help from us. 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:13.039 So Laodicea was known. 00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:14.960 It was known for its medical school. 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:20.720 It had a medical university for eye doctors. 00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:27.200 It was well known for producing an eye salve, and it was sold all over the Roman Empire. 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:38.720 They had these unique sheep that they raised that were completely black. 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:41.680 How unique. 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:51.119 And so they had this rich source of clothing and material that came from these black sheep. 00:26:51.599 --> 00:27:04.240 And because it was so unique, it provided for their wealth as they sold this black linen cloth all over the Roman Empire. 00:27:06.160 --> 00:27:15.759 See, Laodiceans were materially well, had great health, finest clothes around. 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:20.400 Verse 17, he says, I am rich, I've acquired wealth, I don't need a thing. 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:29.200 So what happens when we have it all, when we don't need anything from anybody, and we've never really failed at anything? 00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:32.000 Is that a good thing? 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:53.200 Or is that possibly a spiritual handicap, a moral handicap, when it makes it hard to relate meaningfully to God and the broken people who are sick and need healing and needs salvation. 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:58.559 We start to believe that we don't need God and that we're better than everyone else who is suffering. 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:03.519 We become unaware of our profound vulnerability. 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:07.920 That's why Jesus comes and he intervenes. 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:10.319 That's why he writes this letter. 00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:14.240 Jesus writes this letter through the Apostle John. 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:25.119 You do not realize that you were wretched, you were pitiful, you were poor, blind, and naked. 00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:32.880 One commentator says, Thus, despite their banks, they were beggars. 00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:37.359 Despite their famous Isav, they were blind. 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:43.200 Despite their prosperous clothing factories, they were naked. 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:52.400 In the scriptures, spiritual nakedness is always a metaphor for our guilt and our shame. 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:56.799 Our track record before God comes up short. 00:28:56.960 --> 00:29:02.400 Spiritual poverty is our inability to do anything about it. 00:29:05.440 --> 00:29:14.079 If we're unable to see and be aware of our spiritual poverty, we can't fix it. 00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:15.200 We're poor. 00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:17.039 Spiritually, we're poor. 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:19.839 We bring nothing to the table. 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:26.079 And spiritual blindness is just what it sounds like. 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:28.559 We can't see our true condition. 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:32.000 We haven't the faintest clue how deep the problem is. 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:42.000 The truth is that the lead of sins were likely, they were compromising in every imaginable way in their city. 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:46.640 They were confessing Caesar is Lord in order to protect themselves. 00:29:46.799 --> 00:29:53.279 They were attending and taking part in idol worship and feast. 00:29:53.759 --> 00:30:10.240 I mean, I'm talking about immorality of all kinds, drinking, pagan worship, doing anything they had to do to maintain their business contacts and contracts. 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:17.440 Keeping their relationship with Jesus as private as possible. 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:33.599 It's not where it ends. 00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:41.200 And so we've seen that there's a false security, but we see now that there's a supernatural hope. 00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:52.319 Verses 18 and 19, he says, so I advise you, here's what Jesus says, I advise you to buy gold from me, gold that has been purified by fire. 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:54.559 Then you will be rich. 00:30:54.799 --> 00:31:03.119 Also buy white garments for me, so you will not be shamed by your nakedness and ointment for your eyes, so you'll be able to see. 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:06.319 See, we're to go to Jesus. 00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:10.240 He is at the top of the vendor list. 00:31:12.640 --> 00:31:14.480 He says, Buy from me. 00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:16.400 Buy for me. 00:31:16.720 --> 00:31:17.359 From me. 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:20.559 He says, I correct and discipline everyone I love. 00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:23.920 So be diligent and turn from your indifference. 00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:31.680 This city where they had they had this rich financial center. 00:31:31.920 --> 00:31:34.319 He says, Buy your gold from me. 00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:42.880 This city that has a famous medical university specifically given to this I salve. 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:50.240 He says, Buy ointment for your eyes from me, and then you will be able to see. 00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:12.319 There's a spiritual meaning here. 00:32:12.400 --> 00:32:13.519 I hope you know. 00:32:14.160 --> 00:32:21.200 He says, he says, listen, you need to be made clean and white as snow. 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:27.920 Taking that from Isaiah. 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:39.359 When we put our faith in Jesus, we are given the garments of righteousness and purity that are white as snow. 00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:47.839 And so listen, listen, when you hear correction from the Lord, it is out of love. 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:51.119 Some of you have kids. 00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:56.000 My kids are kind of, my kids, you know, are they old. 00:32:57.200 --> 00:33:02.400 I got two that are adults, one that's kind of moving into adulthood. 00:33:03.039 --> 00:33:04.799 Had to correct him a little bit. 00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:07.599 The other two are they're out there on their own. 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:19.359 I mean, if they come to us, we give them some good counsel, but we teach and we correct and we discipline our children. 00:33:19.599 --> 00:33:20.240 Why? 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:22.160 Not because we don't love them. 00:33:22.319 --> 00:33:24.160 It's out of love, right? 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:27.119 You beat your kids because you love them. 00:33:29.519 --> 00:33:33.279 I can say that in a church in the Bible Belt. 00:33:43.599 --> 00:33:46.319 And so gold refined by fire, what does that mean? 00:33:46.640 --> 00:33:53.200 It's this idea that spiritual wealth always comes with a measure of suffering. 00:33:54.720 --> 00:34:04.319 People who walk with Jesus in suffering have a spiritual depth that they listen, you wouldn't trade it for the world. 00:34:06.079 --> 00:34:13.599 Because you know the riches of Jesus' salvation. 00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:16.639 We all want it to be different, but it isn't. 00:34:16.800 --> 00:34:20.480 Suffering is like a fire underneath the gold of our lives. 00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:27.280 It brings all the impurities and immaturities to the surface so it can be dealt with. 00:34:27.599 --> 00:34:33.920 Saying yes to Jesus, saying no to his rivals, it makes the fire hotter. 00:34:40.400 --> 00:34:43.920 And so these white garments are the works of righteousness. 00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:48.639 It is simply the gift of grace that he gives us. 00:34:49.199 --> 00:35:03.440 And when he changes our hearts and gives us the white garments of righteousness, it gives us the ability to love God, to love our neighbors, to love the least of these, to love those on the margins. 00:35:03.599 --> 00:35:06.559 That's why we do ministries like shop with a hero. 00:35:06.800 --> 00:35:13.039 I never want to forget that there are people in our community that are living in poverty. 00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:16.400 There are children that are at risk. 00:35:19.519 --> 00:35:33.519 And so when we have the garments of righteous, we are walking and demonstrating our citizenry in the kingdom of God, this coming city. 00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:38.719 It comes from heaven. 00:35:40.079 --> 00:35:44.400 The I salv is the capacity for spiritual discernment. 00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:54.400 With Jesus' I Salve, we begin to see reality and truth. 00:35:55.199 --> 00:36:00.719 We begin to see with the eyes the heart of Jesus. 00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:03.519 Here's what John Scott says. 00:36:04.079 --> 00:36:11.920 He's a pastor that really he left this earth, I think, last within the last five or ten years. 00:36:12.880 --> 00:36:14.960 Pastor and England, theologian. 00:36:15.199 --> 00:36:20.239 He says, here is welcome news for naked, blind beggars. 00:36:21.119 --> 00:36:24.000 They are poor, but Christ has gold. 00:36:24.480 --> 00:36:27.519 They are naked, but Christ has clothing. 00:36:27.840 --> 00:36:30.719 They are blind, but Christ has ISAV. 00:36:31.119 --> 00:36:36.800 Let them no longer trust in their banks, their eye powders, and their clothing factories. 00:36:36.960 --> 00:36:39.039 Let them come to Him. 00:36:39.599 --> 00:36:45.280 He can rich their poverty, clothe their nakedness, heal their blindness. 00:36:45.440 --> 00:36:52.320 He can open their eyes to perceive a spiritual world of which they could never have dreamed. 00:36:52.800 --> 00:37:00.559 He can cover their sin and shame and make them fit to partake of the inheritance of the saints and light. 00:37:00.880 --> 00:37:05.920 He can enrich them with life and life abundant. 00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:11.280 And then finally, here's what he leads to. 00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:16.079 Suffer with the Savior. 00:37:17.440 --> 00:37:18.719 Suffer with the Savior. 00:37:18.800 --> 00:37:23.360 He says in verse 20, he says, Look, I stand at the door and knock. 00:37:23.440 --> 00:37:30.719 If you hear my voice, open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal together as friends. 00:37:31.280 --> 00:37:41.360 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my father on his throne. 00:37:41.760 --> 00:37:48.480 Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what's saying to the churches. 00:37:51.119 --> 00:38:07.199 Now, in our relationship with Jesus, there is such a thing as union with Christ, and then there's such a thing as communion with Christ. 00:38:08.800 --> 00:38:19.440 Union with Christ is a theological understanding of our position with Jesus once we put our faith in him. 00:38:20.239 --> 00:38:22.159 We are one with Christ. 00:38:22.719 --> 00:38:24.800 We are in union with him. 00:38:25.440 --> 00:38:31.039 You can't do anything to undo it any more than you did to bring it about. 00:38:33.440 --> 00:38:37.440 And so your union with Christ remains unchanged. 00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:39.679 You are one with Christ. 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:43.519 You are one because you have put your faith in him. 00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:50.079 By grace. 00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:53.440 And so that's union. 00:38:53.519 --> 00:38:55.199 That is a theological understanding. 00:38:55.360 --> 00:38:58.800 Union with Christ, and it's based upon your position. 00:39:00.480 --> 00:39:11.119 You are a child of God, and you no longer can, you can't undo your adoption. 00:39:13.440 --> 00:39:15.360 But then there's communion. 00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:18.239 Communion with Christ. 00:39:18.960 --> 00:39:24.400 And I'm not necessarily talking about communion that we is as the memorial that we celebrate today. 00:39:24.559 --> 00:39:29.039 I'm talking about your daily, your daily walk with Jesus. 00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:32.480 Your daily communion. 00:39:37.599 --> 00:39:38.880 To sit down. 00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:47.199 And in our fast food, fast paced. 00:39:47.280 --> 00:39:48.960 Get it as fast as you can. 00:39:58.000 --> 00:39:58.800 What's it called? 00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:01.119 Where you pay for that yearly subscription? 00:40:02.480 --> 00:40:02.880 What? 00:40:04.480 --> 00:40:06.000 Yeah, Amazon Prime World. 00:40:06.159 --> 00:40:06.639 Next day. 00:40:06.880 --> 00:40:07.280 Next day. 00:40:07.360 --> 00:40:09.519 By the way, that doesn't happen anymore. 00:40:11.199 --> 00:40:11.760 That happened. 00:40:12.480 --> 00:40:13.519 That has gone away. 00:40:13.760 --> 00:40:15.840 They still charge you like twice. 00:40:16.079 --> 00:40:19.840 What they charge you when they actually would bring things the next day. 00:40:20.079 --> 00:40:21.920 But now they don't bring things the next day. 00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:23.679 They charge you twice as much. 00:40:24.960 --> 00:40:26.639 That's the world we live in. 00:40:29.199 --> 00:40:32.559 I just gave three minutes of advertisement to Amazon. 00:40:32.639 --> 00:40:33.280 I apologize. 00:40:33.360 --> 00:40:34.239 I'll repent. 00:40:40.400 --> 00:40:43.920 Communion is your relationship. 00:40:44.239 --> 00:40:48.639 Communion is what you and your wife, husbands and wives, experience. 00:40:48.960 --> 00:40:53.679 See, when they get married on their wedding day, they're married every day. 00:40:53.760 --> 00:41:01.119 They're no less married, but they can lose the communion if they don't share meals together. 00:41:01.280 --> 00:41:11.199 If they don't, if all they do is grab something through a drive-thru and you don't stop and have a date, you lose the communion. 00:41:11.760 --> 00:41:14.400 It's the same way with your relationship with Jesus. 00:41:14.639 --> 00:41:17.920 Is it possible that's what happened to the laod of sins? 00:41:18.239 --> 00:41:20.480 They embraced and assimilated. 00:41:20.559 --> 00:41:26.639 They began to have communion with the culture rather than communion with Jesus. 00:41:46.639 --> 00:41:50.320 We commune with him and we walk with him. 00:42:09.519 --> 00:42:13.360 Jesus is the bread of heaven. 00:42:14.880 --> 00:42:18.320 He can refresh you, he can satisfy you. 00:42:18.480 --> 00:42:25.280 You'll no longer be harassed by unmet cravings, you'll no longer be a slave to pleasure.