Jesus let us know this in Luke 11:23.
Luke 11:23 – 23 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.
No fence, no gray, nothing to deliberate.
If He is our Lord, there should be no hesitation. All other ground is sinking sand.
Philippians 1:12-14 – 12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
Times are coming on where the world doesn’t want anyone to speak freely, courageously, or fearlessly. The reason is, you can’t control people unless only your message is getting through.
With the times ahead we need to speak more courageously and fearlessly for Christ.
We need to continue to keep encouraging one another to do so.
Revelation 3:14-22 – 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor,
blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
There are always a couple of things that I always get out of reading the passages regarding the Laodicea Church.
One, Jesus wants you to be hot for Him, if you’re going to be His. Luke warm means you know about Him
and you refuse to further your love and relationship with Him. Those who are cold, He expects to be cold,
but His church?
I don’t know about you, but when the Lord uses the words spit you out of My mouth, that doesn’t sound good at all. That’s a God that’s pretty disgusted with part of His church.
Two, people who have acquired wealth don’t seem to need to depend on the Lord. They lean on themselves. Also they have appeared to have fooled themselves. They think they are something totally different then how they are viewed by God and Jesus.
The Lord advises them to buy gold from Him. Do we do that with worldly wealth that we chase after? No.
When we die to our “me” nature and put Him and others in His name first, we’re beginning to buy gold from the Lord. Store up treasures in heaven He tells us in Matthew.
Matthew 6:19-21 – 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Third, the Lord disciplines those He loves. He wants to get our attention so we don’t blow it. He doesn’t want to spit people out of His mouth. People choose that by being on the wrong side of God. What’s the wrong side? Giving the Lord no love and living completely contrary to His Word.
He says to those who overcome He’ll give the right to sit with Him on the throne. So what about those who don’t overcome these things?
Today’s church in America has a lot of Laodicea roaming around in it and Jesus wanted to warn those who are willing to listen.
We need to allow Him to put the salve on our eyes and buy the refined gold from our Lord.
Yesterday we talked about the image of the invisible God. That’s part of who Jesus is. In verse 16 of Colossians 1 we read.
Colossians 1:16 – 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
In the next verses we see that Jesus is the Word and the Light which we spoke about yesterday.
John 1:1-5 – 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
In Genesis 1:26 God was getting ready to create man and what did He say?
Genesis 1:26 – 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
No God does not have a mouse in His pocket. Jesus helped Him make the creation along with Him.
Jesus is the Word, Jesus is the Light, and Jesus is the Son who is God in the Flesh.
I believe many people struggle because they don’t know is Jesus is.
Colossians 1:15 – 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
That He is. You want a picture of God, then visualize Jesus.
John 14:7-11 –7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
Jesus is God in the flesh, part of the Trinity.
This takes us to the second portion of our scripture, the Firstborn over all creation.
Genesis 1:1-3 – 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
What is the light the sun? No that doesn’t work because the light above was created on the first day. We read this just a little further down the chapter.
Genesis 1:14-19 – 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
So what is the light? Or should we say who is the Light?
John 8:12- 12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
To be able to see Someone that is big enough to create the universe would be hard to do. However, God gave us His Son, which is One with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and God in the flesh.
Tomorrow we will add Colossians 1:16 into the mix.
Of course there is a lot to the End Times, but if people just understood some of the basics they would see what’s coming on.
The devil wants to be like the Most High. Christ is coming back to rule and reign with His Kingdom on this earth for 1,000 years.
Since the devil wants to be like the Most High, he wants to rule on his own throne on this earth.
That’s where we’re heading. The world is coming together paving the way for a one world ruler. He will control commerce, communication and will want to be worshipped or you’ll die. The devil wants it to happen and God is going to allow it to happen.
Since people have been rejecting God from the beginning for so long, He takes His own out and lets the others finally have their wish.
They are going to find out that the devil doesn’t make the kind of fair ruler they envisioned while at the same time the world gets the wrath of God and from the Lamb. Those who continue not to repent to God and accept the Mark and their allegiance to the devil will have proven just how against God they really are.
Then Jesus comes back cleans house and begins His rule on this earth.
There is thousand times more besides that, but not a bad short paraphrase of the near future.
Whoops this was for tomorrow and I hit the post instead of save. Well since there were two today this one is for tomorrow. God Bless.
Every law in the books is someone’s idea of a rule that was voted on or enacted and is being pushed on the public.
Who says you can’t legislate morality. You can’t kill someone, it’s against the law. That’s legislating moral law. You can’t drive 100 MPH because you can kill someone or injure them. That’s legislating morality.
So why do we hear you can’t legislate morality so often?
The truth is as Christians, Non-Christians, or even Christians that don’t like rules don’t what morality pushed on them. They don’t want Christian or Bible principals to legislate them the truth be known.
No drugs. That’s moral issue. Don’t steal from people. That’s moral issue. Don’t sexually abuse others. That’s a moral issue.
There are laws in the books to protect others out there in the name of morality and moral living.
I go nuts anymore when I hear someone say it. It’s just not true.
You can legislate immorality also. We are seeing more and more of that every day in the courts.
Every law in the books is someone’s idea of how life should be lived. God wants order and laws. Likes them so much He created one Himself. Just because Jesus fulfilled the law doesn’t mean the commandments don’t have the same meaning. God hasn’t changed His mind on how man should live. He still wants us to obey.
Numbers 23:19-19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
The minds of Americans have been attacked with sayings and words. It has been a successful propaganda. When they tell you, you can’t legislate morality, they mean they don’t want you to legislate morality.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 – 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
He never allows us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.
Our Lord gives us the power to say no to our sinful nature. However, he still knows there are some areas that we would struggle if faced.
If your downfall is squandering money, I don’t believe the Lord is going to put a lot of it in your lap. Now you might chase after it and bring it in yourself, but I believe we will be held accountable for what kind of stewards we are in all areas. So would the Lord set you up for failure if He knew you couldn’t handle it and had to hold you accountable later? I don’t think so.
I think He protects us from ourselves a lot in many different areas. Yet many times we still frantically try to get ourselves out from under His umbrella in certain areas and then Bam!
Resisting temptation builds strength. Hardships build strength and character in our lives and He knows which ones will and which ones would be too much for us. He loves us.
There’s a way out and the first step is to quit making excuses. Start realizing you have the power in God that you need and turn away.
The reason we are going to be rewarded and held accountable is because there is a right way. It’s His way. The only way to know His way is to know His Word.
Let’s say we’re supposedly good friends and I told you I’m coming over.
Then let’s say your response is, ”Oh, I hope you don’t right now.”
So I ask you why?
You tell me you’re too busy. You have a lot of plans.
So I ask, “Well when should I come?”
You say, “How about when I’m on my deathbed. “
This happens every day with people who declare they are Christians and that Christ is the most
important person in their lives.
Yet Christ says I will return for my Church…. my love.
So is the correct answer from His love supposed to be , “Ah, I’m not ready for that? Also things are going to well down here, can we put that off?”
The Lord is coming back and if someone doesn’t want Him to show up because they are too busy with their worldly life, I don’t think that’s going to be a good thing at all. It’s totally the Lord’s call, but I know I can visualize that scenario and I don’t want to be in that camp.
This may have been referring to the Jewish people at the time, but how much worse for the Church who should now have learned from it.
Luke 14: 16-23- 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the
crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
There are so many constant warnings for us in the Word. Study it regularly.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 – 1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
3 What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 There is no remembrance of men of old,
and even those who are yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow.
The bad thing about a bucket list is people live their life like there is nothing in the future to live for. Is this what God is trying to portray?
No! This is a lack of faith to not believe what God has promised for those who love Him.
Matthew 10:39 – 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
This world will pass away and so will the meaningless things we do in it that don’t pertain to God. Heaven isn’t eternity of sitting around in a retirement home bragging about how great you scored in your earthly life. It’s a chance to show the Lord you love Him and you can be faithful in your eternal relationship with Him.