Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/27/13

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/27/13

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

This is the message that Jesus ordained would be put into the heart of the ministry for the Laodicean period of time.  This is not my message, I am to deliver it.  It is God’s message sent to His church today.

Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

This is a beautiful portion of the Bible.  It wouldn’t matter where I was preaching from, I could say this.  The word of God is beautiful. 

The reason that God sent the Revelation is that there would be rebuke against anything that would keep us from doing our best.  There isn’t anyone including the preacher that doesn’t need to be corrected.

Anything that we can measure to we want to measure.  Serving God is the most wonderful thing on earth and it is the only thing that will get us to heaven.

John on the Isle of Patmos enjoyed an epiphany.  He was banished there to a land of snakes and other wild creatures by himself.  While he was there he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ and was to send it to the seven churches of Asia.  The message to the Laodiceans was sent to our church age. 

There are people preaching messages and writing books as to what the world needs.  I’m not discrediting any of them, but this one is from one of authority, the faithful and true witness.  Jesus Himself is the faithful and true witness.

The marvelous thing is that He is no respecter of persons.  He witnessed to John on the isle and He witnesses to many others as they travel the journey of life.  He witnesses that this Word is true; it has worked, it does work, and it forever will work.

Jesus left the thought of the beginning of the creation of God.  Each of us had a beginning and then sin took us to where we needed a new beginning.  It is wonderful to have a new beginning.  “If any be in Christ He is a new creature.”

You may see issues in your life, doctrinally, relationships, personality...  You may have a personality that needs a new beginning.  There is nothing that a man is ever convicted of that God is not there with His Word, Spirit, and power to deliver. 

Jesus says to each of us, “I know thy works.”  It doesn’t matter what position a person may hold or what title they have or how untouchable they seem.  Jesus knows their works.

The problem with the Laodicean church is that they were not cold or hot.  Jesus desires a great emphasis that we be cold or that we be hot.

Jesus wants us to be cold in the thought of being an instrument that is a source of refreshing, a cool refreshing.  We live in a world where there are a million people that are waiting for someone that will poor something into their life that will give them an upper. 

There is no one on the face of the earth that has the ability in the human form to give you an upper for the rest of your life.  This is the reason that Jesus came.

A lady came to Jesus in John chapter 4.  He was at the well to get water.  The lady told him that he had nothing to draw with.  He told her that he had living water to give her.  She said, “You cannot you don’t even have a bucket or a rope.”  He told her that out of your river, out of yourself, shall flow waters. 

We are living in a world that is full of paranoia.  It is a world that is filled with evil spirits.  God wants us to have a river flowing in and a river flowing out with wonderful life giving, faith increasing water, with the love of God, and a standard for what is right.

Some feel that we live a life of restriction with living the Word of God.  I have found it to be the road of liberty and of joy.  “Don’t pity me, I am richly blessed.”

The road that is overlaiden with oppression, possession, with evil spirits is the broad-road.  They are looking for something that will give them a high or something here or there that will satisfy.

We want to be a river flowing out.  We don’t want to be sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to come to us and refresh us.  That is self centered and self must be slain.  We are here for God to flow through.  That is what the church is to be in the seventh seal.

God wants us to be emphatic that we are to be alive spiritually, emphatic that the influences that we have on the saints and others is a high standard spiritually.  How we behave our self and encourage each other, how we see the value is important.

We have a high standard to lift up as to how young ladies are to be treated and courted.  There is a standard for men if they want a virtuous woman: they need to be equivalent to Proverbs 31: 10-31.  It isn’t enough that they are someone’s son or have been raised around the church of God.  They are not even a candidate for a virtuous lady unless they are virtuous.

Because of lukewarmness: 

Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

The scripture emphasis of the result of lukewarmness is that He will spue you out of His mouth.  Jesus said this.  There is not a preacher alive that can hold a candle to preaching about lukewarmness as Jesus did. 

In the season that we have gone through Cole wanted to try a medicine that was to be given Cade.  He took a sip and then returned it to his dad saying, “this is going to make me cough.” There are some things that make Jesus cough.  Every one of us can justify what he is doing.  “What you are doing is lukewarm but what I am doing is just fine.” 

Lukewarmness produces a constant contradiction.  I know I’m right because of where I am or who my pastor is.  You don’t know you are right because of any tangible thing.  “I am rich and increased with goods.” 

As much as we love the revelation message, the message of Daniel, the parable of the sower, works written by FG Smith and others, having the approval of any people and you banking on that as your salvation makes you lukewarm.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

“I have need of nothing.”  If there is any position that you never want to be found in it is being deceived, believing that you have no needs.  I attended a funeral recently where someone got up saying that the reason that one went to eternity was because there was no more spiritual ground to gain for them.  That will never be.

You are very blessed to be able to experience godly sorrow that works repentance not to be ashamed of.  Humility and correction and being wrong is nothing to be ashamed of.  What is wrong is when people believe they have no needs.

The very thought of being rich and needless is a total contradiction.  Jesus taught us that without me you can do nothing.  Not one of us lives or dies to themselves.  Not one of us can be the individual that we need to be without Jesus.  We will not be a good mother, father, grandparent, neighbor, boss, employee, or citizens of the USA without Jesus.

We cannot be a blessing to the saints or to the lost without Jesus.  The majority of the people in the Laodicean church knew not…, they were deceived. 

They knew not that they were retched which means miserable.  We live in a world of miserable people.  They are lukewarm so they are miserable.  There isn’t anything more ugly than religion.  I tell people when I get up to preach a funeral where they don’t know me well, “I am not religious.” 

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

It is a miracle that you can receive counsel from eternity.  If you had the money to go to the best, isn’t it wonderful that there is a wonderful counselor?  He counsels you to buy something better than the $50,000 that might be passed out. 

He counsels to buy gold, gold tried on the fire.  I see Jesus in this gold.  He has gone through every fire and they haven’t been able to burn Him.  He was there when they were tried on the stakes; the wicked were not able to overcome them.

White raiment: it is wonderful that your garments can be white this morning, unspotted by the world and by the flesh.  Let your garments be always white: the righteousness of the saints, living right before God.  It is a wonderful thing that your garments can be white.

Don’t mess around spiritually.  Be saved and measure to everything that you know spiritually.  If you are so convicted that you need to be baptized today, then one of these young strong guys will take you to the river and cut the way through the ice so that you can get everything lined up.  We want everything lined up.

Don’t let there be any truth that you are not measured to.  God will let you know truth when you are to measure to it.  If there is truth that you haven’t measured to then come to the altar of God and measure to the truth that God has convicted you of.

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

If you haven’t been being convicted recently, then come before God and say, “Maybe I have gotten blinded by something.”  There is healing to your vision this morning.  If you haven’t much vision then don’t blame anyone but yourself.  Say, “God I need a vision.”

Jesus said, “All that I love I rebuke and chasten.’

I don’t know why sometimes people feel that they are being picked upon when they are corrected.  That is not how it is.  When Jesus comes to correct you then you are blessed.  He corrects those that He loves.

‘Chastened’ means to be corrected.  There is no problem with being corrected.  You are a member of His church.  If you find yourself being tired in church and God comes to correct you, then you need to adjust your schedule, your mind, your heart, and your personality so that you can come to the house of God and be your best. 

The first one that you need to please is God.  If you want to please too many people so that it keeps you too busy to be your best, then you need to make some adjustments.

I you are gifted on seeing others faults and not your own then you can confess your own fault of this.  Be zealous and repent.  Zealous means, “God I’m sorry and I’ve learned my lesson.”

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Jesus is knocking at the door.  The reason that we may not hear the knock is that “I have so much going on in my mind that I don’t hear it.” 

Jesus knocked at my door yesterday.  He will speak to us today.  Who will open the door of his heart? 

This message is written to the church of God in this last dispensation of time.   Church, we want to keep the attitude, “When I hear Him knocking I want to get my door opened because I want Him in my heart and in my mind.” 

Your mind is the target.  Your mind is the target of the media and of your family.  Not that they mean you any evil, they want you to know some things.  It may not be bad, but Jesus is knocking at the door and asks if you will open the door of your mind and let him sort things out.

Your family is not God.  If they are your god then you need to repent and get saved.  There are a lot of voices.  You must let Jesus in your business mind.  If you don’t then your will be so busy that your mind will not be thinking on the good things of God.  We must let Jesus in our mind.

Jesus comes to sup with us.  If I was going to go to your house for dinner today, I would come into your house and I would eat what you prepared.  You would prepare what you thought would fit the occasion if you invited me. 

Jesus comes to our house to sup with us.  He wants to know what you have been cooking, what you have been thinking, what you’ve been meditating on, and talking to others about.  First He comes to eat with us. 

Every day we are to have devotions, good things from God’s word.  After He sups with us then we sup with Him.  Cole goes to school and his teacher lets him bring things to school sometimes but then she brings things. 

He has things for us today but you will never receive it if you don’t hear him knocking.  Don’t rush through the meal today.  He knows what you need to eat today.  He knows when you are faced with temptation.  If I eat right then I will withstand the temptation. 

As old as I am there will be temptations come and opportunity to withstand temptation.  In that time Jesus comes, “I already taught you to not go there.”

Jesus comes to bring us food from afar.

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

You will be distracted from being your most refreshing and from being on fire for God, but we must overcome.  Jesus overcame all things.  He invites the overcomers and says, “Come and set with the father and with me.”

He says, “To him that has a ear.”  To him that has an ear spiritually let him hear what the Spirit says to the church this morning.

Are you refreshing?  God wants you to be refreshing.  Some of you have extremely challenging jobs.  My wife is a nurse and I couldn’t do what she does.  For you that work in the school system, I couldn’t do what you do.  Are we refreshing spiritually?

Are we edifying?  Don’t leave with the thought, “I’m not so sure that someone is edifying me.”  No, the thought is: are you edifying.  Jesus must be first.

I want to edify someone.  If you long to feel good about yourself, God wants you to rather long to please Him. 

That is the only feeling that I need.  Of the woman that washed Jesus feet it was said, “She has done what she could.”  That is what I want to be my testimony.