Title: Repentance and Restoration
Content ㈆?? What do you think about our Adventist Church? Each of us will have thoughts about our church. Our views of the church may be right or wrong. The members of the Laodicea church in today's text also had their own thoughts about their own church. They were proud of their church.
There are seven churches in Revelation 2-3. The Lord sent a letter to each of the seven churches. In correspondence to other churches, the Lord's praise is followed by reproof. However, there is no praise from the Lord in this letter to the church of Laodicea. There is only rebuke. Therefore, this church was totally against the expectations of the Lord. In short, it was the ugliest of the seven churches. However, I personally like the letter of today's text the most out of the seven letters. I don't like this church. It is because I like the heart of the Lord toward this ugly church. The Lord speaks of such a church as “the one I love” in verse 19. So, although it is the most severe letter out of the seven churches, it is a letter of reproof without praise, but it is sending a love letter. This ugly church was also the object of the Lord's attention.
Ladies and gentlemen, we should not say about the Lord's church as "a church that has lost grace, has no salvation, and has no hope. There is something lacking. The bad part is true. Still, it is a church loved by the Lord. Whether a child is good or bad, the Lord loves His poor church just as parents love them. It is the same with our Advent Church. Like the church in Laodicea, there are many ugliness within us. There is something lacking. Still, our Advent Church is a church that receives the Lord's love. The Lord is ruling and leading our church. do you believe
How is our Lord governing and guiding the church?
1. The Lord knows exactly what we do.
Verse 15. “I know your deeds.” The Lord says that he knows exactly the circumstances of the church in Laodicea. Just as a famous doctor accurately diagnoses a patient's disease, the Lord, the Lord of the church, is accurately diagnosing the church. Regarding the church, “You do not know.” As he speaks, he says that the Lord Himself knows. This diagnosis of the Lord is accurate. Because it is the judgment of the Lord, “Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.”
The Laodiceans knew that their church was wealthy and that they had nothing more to hope for or lack. But the Lord tells them that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. So they diagnose, “It is neither cold nor hot.”
I believe that the Lord knows exactly the circumstances of our church. We too can be miserable and miserable. Therefore, they may be in a state of indifference and neglect rather than devotion and love to the Lord because they are poor in faith. We are spiritually blind and have no spiritual discernment. We were also naked, so shameful shame was told. I hear a lot of ridicule and criticism.
2. The Lord exhorts us to do this. Verse 18.
“I beseech you, buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and buy white robes so that you may not see the shame of your nakedness, and buy eye drops that you may see on your eyes.” In a nutshell, “Come to me and buy.”
We had to know this first of all. We cannot satisfy ourselves. You must know that only in Christ can you have sufficiency. Laodiceans say, “I lack nothing,” but they had to admit that only in Jesus Christ can we become rich. Gentlemen, apart from you, we can do nothing.
So, what is the Lord telling you to buy from yourself?
The first is gold refined by fire. What is gold refined by fire? According to 1 Peter 1:7, it speaks of faith. Ladies and gentlemen, a church without faith is a poor church. Only a church with faith is a rich church. Second, white clothes. What is white clothes? It refers to the clothes of righteousness washed in the blood of Christ. We always need the white robe of the atonement of Jesus Christ to cover the shame of our nakedness. The third is eye drops. What are these eye drops? It is the spiritual discernment gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus sent to us. We must see with spiritual eyes.
In this way, the Lord accurately diagnoses the church and recommends appropriate treatment. I'm sure. We believe that the Lord knows our church and recommends correct treatment accordingly.
3. The Lord rebukes and disciplines us.
If we do not learn from the counsel of the Lord, the Lord rebukes us. Reproof is to instruct and rule with harsh words. In verse 15, the Lord says, “I want you to be cold or hot.” Verse 16 says, “Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” I did. The Lord rebukes the Laodiceans for rejecting and throwing them away, just as they vomit up the wrong food. We must take the Lord's rebuke seriously. We must hear reproof and repent.
Otherwise, we learn through painful discipline. The content of the discipline given to the church in Laodicea does not appear in the text. But the Lord disciplines those who love. The Lord can discipline us. You can make us sick. It can ruin your business. It can cause pain in relationships. It may cause difficulties in your marriage. You can put yourself to shame in front of many people. It can make you fail the exam. If we refuse to learn from the word of the Lord, the Lord can teach us through discipline.
I hope that you will learn and obey the words of the Lord's counsel without being disciplined. Like Jonah, do not obey after being beaten, but I hope that our church will receive praise and blessings from the Lord by obeying through the Word.
4. The Lord wants us to repent and restore.
Verses 19 and 20. “Therefore, be zealous and repent. see it I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Here the Lord is saying two things. Repentance and restoration of fellowship.
First, the Lord commands us to repent. “Be zealous” is the present imperative, and “repent” is the AORIST. Therefore, the two commands mean that you must repent and make a decision at once, and be zealous. We need a decision. Everyone, don't you think that our Adventist Church needs such a decision?
Next, the Lord invites us to fellowship with Him. Verse 20. It's a famous saying. This is the Lord's invitation to the beloved church again. “Look. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” This is an invitation from the Lord's love.
He comes to us and knocks on the door of our hearts. Here, “standing” is the present perfect tense, and “knocking” is the present tense. The Lord has come outside your door and is waiting for you. You keep knocking on the door while you wait. This is the heart of the Lord toward us. He wants to come into us.
Ladies and gentlemen, if we open our hearts and welcome the Lord, He will put an end to our beggar life. He transforms us from beggars to princes. He washes us and puts us in clean clothes. You eat with us and we eat with you. It is to live and fellowship together. But he comes to us to rule over us. He is coming as our Lord. I hope you will open your heart to this Lord. Don't delay any longer. Don't let the Lord wait outside the door any longer. Our church also wants the Lord to be the Lord of the church every day.
Gentlemen, when we receive the Lord's counsel, we must repent. You must open the door of your heart and receive the Lord again. When you are rebuked, you must repent. You must bring the Lord back. Before we receive discipline, we must repent, open our hearts, and serve the Lord. If you are being disciplined now, you must repent quickly and receive the Lord again. So I hope that you will receive all the rewards that the Lord will give to those who overcome. I pray in the name of the Lord that we will all be victorious and sit together on the throne of the Lord. Let's meet at the throne of our Lord. Hallelujah Amen.