Jesus is our message.
Our faith is built on the firm foundation of Jesus; the beginning of all creation. As we close this year’s final collection of talks titled “Seven”, Pastor Cameron presents a powerful word called “The One Who Knocks”. The sermon is based on Jesus' message to the church of Laodicea, where He confronts the church in the city about who He is and dangers of being a lukewarm follower.
God is good and He corrects those He loves. Today we have the opportunity to open the door, and turn to Him, the true source.
Scripture
Revelation‬ â€3:7-13‬ â€NIV
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14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
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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.
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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 that person, and they with me.
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21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
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Main Idea
Jesus is the personification of God's truth and the source of all creation. He loves and cares deeply about His followers and His Church. It is out of love that He brings correction, and the correction He brings to the Church of Laodicea is for a a Church which has lost it's identity and its purpose. They had experiences success and prosperity, but instead of turning it into praise and to fuel the furthering of the gospel message, they grew complacent and lost their drive.
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Trying to be sufficient on worldly resources alone can lead to a spiritual bankruptcy and a loss of love, faithfullness, and relationship with Jesus. Complacency in our faith can be easy in times of acundance, but we must keep seeking the Lord's face even after His hand has bestowed riches on our lives. He has given us life and life the fullest, so we should always be driven by passion to reach and serve others in the name of Jesus. Mountaintop and valley experiences should never draw us away from our effectiveness in loving others.
Hot water brings relaxation & healing,
Cold water brings refreshing & quenches thirst.
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Lukewarm water (and lukewarm Christians) lost the
effectiveness of serving others with purpose.
Where has God placed you, and with what has He resourced you with?
How might you use your placement and your resources to serve others and effectively bring the love and good news of Jesus everywhere?
The God Who Knocks First...
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“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
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- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
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Call To Action
Open the door. Despite our errors and flaws, Christ still stands at the door of our hearts and knocks. Open it, and allow Him to enter and provide food, relationship, and purpose. Spend time with your Savior and ask Him to bring correction where needed, and to walk out that corrected path with you.
Then, jump in. Serve. Partner with mentors and leaders to find a place of purpose for you within the community of believers known as God's Church. You have something others need in order to better see Christ, so don't sit out this mission and grow lukewarm, jump in with passion and drive to see all know His love!
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